Sé Catedral do Funchal

The archipelago's mother church, in the heart of the city, a National Monument since 1910. Ordered by King João II in 1493 and completed in the early 16th century, it blends Gothic and Manueline: a Gothic portal in Cabo Girão stone with eight pointed archivolts, a large gilded polyptych altarpiece under a Gothic canopy, carved choir stalls and, above all, a ceiling of island cedar, a masterpiece of Mudéjar decoration inherited from the Islamic tradition. The processional cross kept here is considered one of the masterpieces of Portuguese Manueline goldsmithing. Rua do Aljube; open daily at the hours shown.