Lagos is one of the oldest cities in the Algarve, where the Carthaginians, the Romans, and the Moors all settled. Due to its location, Lagos had a significant role during the Portuguese maritime expansion.
However, the city lost its influence following the massive 1755 earthquake. Although it was rebuilt, only in the early 20th century did Lagos flourish once again — this time, due to the fish canning industry. Today, Lagos is one of the main beach destinations in Europe, hiding a mesmerizing past.
1. The Governor’s Castle
Castelo dos Governadores refers to an area of Lagos Castle where the city Governors lived. Historians believe that the castle was built over an ancient Islamic citadel, which occupied the location of the old Roman and Visigothic fortress. Yet, the building you see today dates back to the Middle Ages.
The castle and walls were part of an extensive defensive system that protected Lagos and its surroundings and included several fortresses along the coastline.
In 1755, the earthquake and tsunami destroyed most of the castle, including the governor’s house which was never rebuilt. Today, you can see portions of the city walls and bastions throughout Lagos and cross the Arco de São Gonçalo.
2. City Walls
Lagos city walls are divided into Cerca Velha, the original set of walls, and the Cerca Nova, or the Renaissance wall built in the 16th century.
The original walls were built in the 14th century and encompassed an orthogonal town with a straight street and crosswalks. This corresponds to Lagos’s primitive nucleus known as Viladentro. The Cerca Nova included two parishes in its bastioned perimeter. Although construction works began during King João III’s reign, it was only completed in the first half of the 17th century.
Along the remains of the city walls, you can still admire the bastions of Porta da Vila, Coronheiro, Gafaria, Paiol, Jogo da Bola, and Freiras.
3. Gate of Saint Gonçalo
This was one of Lagos’s city gates connecting the city to Ponta da Bandeira Fortress. Locals called it Portas do Mar since it is one of the locations where the city streets faced the ocean. Today, an image of São Gonçalo, the patron saint of Lagos fishermen, marks his birthplace here in 1360. At the arch, you can admire the oratory built in the 1940s to perpetuate the saint’s memory.
4. Ponta da Bandeira Fort
Built in the 17th century, this fortress sits by the water, outside the city walls. Its purpose was to protect Lagos and its bay against invaders.
To enter the fortress, you must use the drawbridge over a moat. Inside, you will find a small chapel dedicated to Santa Bárbara and a set of traditional blue and white tiles from the 18th century.
Today, the fortress is used for art exhibitions and to celebrate Lagos’s famous Banho Do 29. This is an annual event where locals keep the tradition of bathing in the sea at midnight on August 29th, which they consider to be purifying.
5. The Old Slave Market
In 1444, the first African slaves arrived in Lagos, the first to set foot in Europe. As more slaves kept arriving from further expeditions, the city built its first slave market.
The Mannerist building is one of the most famous in Lagos due to its architecture and its connection to the Portuguese era of discoveries.
In 2014, the Portuguese Government classified the Mercado de Escravos building as a Monument of Public Interest. The idea behind this is to preserve a piece of the country’s history without glorifying one of the darkest moments in the Portuguese maritime expansion.
Today, the former slave market holds a small museum dedicated to Lagos’s connection to the slave trade in the 15th century.
6. Praça Infante D. Henrique
Across the street from Mercado de Escravos is Praça Infante D. Henrique, a square dedicated to Prince Henry the Navigator.
At the square’s center is a statue of Prince Henry, the mastermind behind the Portuguese Age of Discoveries, who adopted Lagos as his hometown and helped develop it into one of the most important port cities at the time. The statue was placed here on the 500th anniversary of his death.
7. Santa Maria Church
Built in 1498, Santa Maria de Lagos Church underwent several restorations and extensions in the 16th and 17 centuries. When the 1755 earthquake destroyed the parish church, Santa Maria assumed its role.
This neoclassical building has a single nave with three side chapels. The sacristy is attached to the left side façade. The church entrance faces Praça do Infante and Mercado de Escravos. The church façade has a symmetrical composition; the entrance door, balcony window, and niche are the central elements. On each side are two identical bell towers. Inside, you can admire the 18th-century altarpieces.
8. Santo António Church
Built in 1707, Igreja de Santo António was severely damaged after the 1755 earthquake. Fortunately, this was one of the few buildings reconstructed in the city. This Baroque-style church shows a humble façade which contrasts with the intricate details in the gilded wood altarpiece some people consider one of the most beautiful in Portugal.
The altarpiece was commissioned in 1718, for carver Gaspar Martins. This was one of the few features that survived the 1755 earthquake. On the ceiling, you can admire the imitation of a barrel vault and a perspective painting of Portugal’s coat of arms.
On the altar, you can see the image of Santo António, the patron saint, with a child in his arms. The contrast between the altar’s golden gleam and the blue and white tiles is a sight to behold.
At this church, you will find the tombstone of Hugo Beaty, commander of the Lagos Infantry Regiment and responsible for the rebuilding of the church in 1769.
9. Lagos Museum
A few steps away from Igreja de Santo António is Lagos’s Museum. Here, you can admire a vast collection of artifacts dating from Pre-history to the Roman and Moorish occupation.
In the Ethnography section, you can learn more about local traditions and the city’s main economic activities. The museum also has a geology and paleontology collection, a “curiosities” collection, weapons, and a collection dedicated to Portuguese colonialism.
10. São Sebastião Church
This is one of the most striking buildings in Lagos city center. Built in 1463 over Nossa Senhora da Conceição Hermitage, the chapel was enlarged and transformed into a church in 1490 when it was consecrated to São Sebastião. At the time, people believed this saint would help eradicate the frequent cholera outbreaks.
Igreja de São Sebastião was one of the first Renaissance buildings in the Algarve. Yet, due to the long construction period and three partial rebuilds, this church has many different architectural features.
The inside has three naves, separated by Doric columns. The round arches end in a tripartite chevet between the high altar and two side chapels with gilded carvings. One of the most impressive elements is the Bone Chapel, a rare example in Portugal and one of the three bone chapels in the Algarve.
