Se, Cathedral of Faro

On our last day in Faro, we finally went inside the old city cathedral, Se. As I wrote in the last post, Mommy went first and then Jacob and I went afterward.

Jacob approaches the cathedral

Stairway to the bell tower

Climbing up to the bell tower was not so far but we had plenty of open air and uneven stairs to contend with. Nerves held true and we enjoyed being close enough to touch the bells. And the view was magnificent too!

The bell mechanism

Jacob on the roof

Jacob rings the bell

Bishop's Palace seen from above

View of the town and nature reserve

View of the old city

We headed back downstairs. In the courtyard, we discovered a bone chapel (yes, the altar is made from bones!) and a chapel to Saint Michael the Archangel (second name patron for both Jacob and me).

Bone Altar in the courtyard

Chapel of St. Michael, or Sao Miguel as he is known locally

We finally went inside the cathedral proper, where we found a great variety of amazing Renaissance and Baroque works. Here are the highlights!

18th century organ

Passion altar

Side altar

Azulejo

More azulejo

Amazing altar

Best tabernacle ever!

Upstairs was a small exhibit of sacred objects and artifacts. Jacob was becoming impatient to go, so luckily my wife took many of the following pictures.

Monstrance

Thurifer

Veronica's Veil Station of the Cross

That isn't a halo on his head, it's the scimitar that martyred him!

Less dramatic saint

On the way out, I caught this bit of mosaic on the floor.

We were glad to see the amazing variety and splendor of the cathedral in Faro.