Almancil

A few kilometres inland from the Algarve’s most fashionable coast, the town of Almancil gathers what the beach resorts lack: an old Portuguese core and, above all, one of the most remarkable church interiors in the country — the azulejo-lined pilgrimage church of São Lourenço, a blue-and-white jewel hidden behind whitewashed walls.

The blue church of São Lourenço

The church was rebuilt after a promise made in a year of drought, and completed in 1730. Inside, every wall, vault and the dome are covered in cobalt-blue and white tiles painted by the Lisbon master Policarpo de Oliveira Bernardes, who signed his work: the panels tell the life and martyrdom of Saint Lawrence in scenes of trompe-l’œil architecture, and the dome carries the founder’s name and the date. The church became a place of pilgrimage on the saint’s feast in August, and its gilded altarpiece completes one of the finest baroque ensembles of the Algarve.

Between resort coast and lagoon

Around the town, the landscape of the parish runs from golf courses and villas to wetlands: the resorts of Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo line the shore, and the western reaches of the Ria Formosa lagoon park protect the dunes, channels and birdlife behind the beaches of Ancão, Garrão and Quinta do Lago. The market town of Loulé keeps the old Algarve crafts to the north, and the island beaches off Olhão lie along the lagoon to the east.

What to see

• The azulejo interior of the church of São Lourenço
• The gilded baroque altarpiece
• The beaches of Ancão, Garrão and Quinta do Lago
• The wetlands of the Ria Formosa park
• The town’s old core and churchyard

Practical information

Almancil lies in the Loulé municipality, a short drive inland from the coast road between Faro and Loulé. The church is closed outside service times and busy on the saint’s feast: plan the visit around opening hours, dress modestly, and check the official websites before setting out.

Image credit: Igreja de São Lourenço – Almansil – Portugal by Vitor Oliveira — CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.