Igreja da Misericórdia de Tavira

On the square below the castle hill, the church of the Misericórdia is Tavira‘s Renaissance masterpiece: a portico of three arches signed with the date of 1540, and inside, one nave of fine proportions that holds the best of the town’s art.

A Renaissance portico in a fishing town

The confraternity of the Misericórdia built the church in the middle of the sixteenth century, and the portico is signed by the masons who raised it. The interior keeps gilded carving of the eighteenth century and a series of sixteenth-century painted panels of the works of mercy, and the tower, added later, became the highest point of the town after the castle.

Churches and roofs of Tavira

Tavira is known for its many church towers, and the Misericórdia is the first of them for most visitors, on the square where the town’s life gathers. From the church the streets climb to the castle, and the river Gilão runs between the old bridges a few steps away, with the Ilha de Tavira beyond.

What to see

• The Renaissance portico of 1540
• The painted panels of the works of mercy
• The gilded carving of the eighteenth century
• The tower and its view over the town’s roofs
• The castle and the river Gilão nearby

Practical information

The church stands on the main square of Tavira, in the eastern Algarve, between Faro and the Spanish border. The tower is climbed by a narrow stair; take care and check the official websites before visiting. Allow time for the surrounding area as well, and keep to marked paths.

Image credit: Igreja da Misericórdia de Tavira by Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL — CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.