Towns & villages · 10 m above the sea
Sé Catedral do Funchal
1517 Manueline cathedral with a cedar ceiling carved in Mudéjar style
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The place
Built from 1493 on King Manuel I's orders and consecrated in October 1517, Funchal's cathedral mixes Manueline stonework with a genuinely striking cedar ceiling in Mudéjar (Moorish-influenced) style — one of the best-preserved of its kind in Portugal — plus a gilded altarpiece and a Manueline processional cross. It anchors the old city center a few streets from the market and is free to walk into between services.
When to come
Weekday mornings, outside Mass times, for a quiet look at the ceiling
Worth knowing
- Free entry
- Mon-Fri 7:15-18:30; Sat 8:00-12:00 & 16:00-19:00; Sun 7:15-12:00 & 16:00-19:00
- Rua do Aljube, historic center
- National Monument since 1910 — it's an active church, dress respectfully