Museum of Sacred Art (Museu de Arte Sacra), Albufeira
The Museum of Sacred Art (Museu de Arte Sacra) in the old town of Albufeira is a lovely space in the restored 18th century Chapel of San Sebastian (Capela de São Sebastião).
The Museu de Arte Sacra exhibits religious art collected from surrounding churches that survived the 1755 earthquake and subsequent tsunami and fires that hit the region.
Exhibits
Highlights of the collections include a beautiful gilded wooden altar along with images of Francisco Xavier, the famous Jesuit, who was active in Asia and Saint Dominic, the founder of the Dominican Order.
Other exhibits include a "pietà" (the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus) in stone from an old chapel in Albufeira, a 16th century painting of the Resurrection, along with other paintings including one of Saint Francis of Assisi from the 18th century, an image of Christ done in ivory and several liturgical and sacramental items done in silver and gold.
There are also panels of azulejos tiles from the 17th century and various other pieces of historical interest.
A side room has artifacts and information on the life of Saint Vincent of Albufeira (1590-1632), an Augustinian missionary first to Mexico and the Philippines and then later to Japan where he was supposedly first tortured with the boiling water from the volcanic hot springs of Mount Unzen and later martyred by fire in Nagasaki during the persecution of Christianity at that time. The day of his death on September 3 is his saint's day in Portugal.
Access & Hours
Museum of Sacred Art, Albufeira
Rua Jose Bernardino de Sousa, São Sebastião Church, Albufeira 8200-146
Winter: 10.30 am-4.30 pm; Summer: 10.30 am-4.30 pm & 8 pm-11 pm.
Admission: €2
Nearby
The museum is within easy walking distance of the Capela da Misericórdia, the Museu Municipal de Arqueologia de Albufeira and just up the hill the Igreja Santana (Santa Ana).
