The convent of “Nossa Senhora do Desterro” was founded in 1631 and legend has it that the foundation of this convent is due to the fulfillment of a promise made on the high seas by two navigators who were in danger, to build a church in the place of the land of Portugal that they first saw from the sea.
Legend also says that the founder had brought with him from India a small image of Our Lady, in ivory, an image that, after his death, the friars venerated as a relic, until, to save it from the gale of 1834, one of them hid it. under her habit and went to ask a lady to collect her.
The image of Nossa Senhora do Desterro, patron saint of the Convent, is currently in the chapel of S. Sebastião.
The ruins of the Nossa Senhora do Desterro Convent stand in a very pleasant place, surrounded by trees, from where you can enjoy one of the most beautiful panoramas of this charming region.
A little below the ruins, on the convent's farm, is the Fonte dos Passarinhos, once covered with tiles showing birds in different positions, and a beautiful magnolia, a multi-centennial tree, believed to have been brought from India by the founder. from the convent in 1631. This tree is classified as of Public Interest.
Photo credits: Monchique Municipality
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