Sagres is a village that belongs to the municipality of Vila do Bispo, having been created by Infante D. Henrique. This village has several points of interest that you can visit and enjoy by scooter.

In addition to Sagres appearing as a haven, this town is also famous for the School of Sagres, a nautical school that was created in the 15th century at the behest of Infante D. Henrique, but there are those who say that its existence is just a myth. Another reason why this village deserves to be visited has to do with Cape of Saint Vincent being considered one of the best places to watch the sunrise and sunset.

Cape of Saint Vincent

Cape of Saint Vincent is located in the extreme southwest of Portugal, specifically in Sagres. This is located 3 km from Ponta de Sagres, with the possibility of enjoying the Sunset. It is also on this cape that the Saint Vincent Fortress and the Saint Vincent Lighthouse are located.

• Saint Vincent Fortress

The Saint Vincent Fortress (military monument) built in the 16th century was intended to protect the coast and a convent that was already there. It was destroyed by the British privateer Francis Drake in 1587 and rebuilt in 1606. Later, in 1846, a lighthouse was built inside it, which is considered one of the most far-reaching in Europe.

During the reign of King Afonso III, a hospital or a shelter was built, which would be used by pilgrims who wanted to visit the tomb of Saint Vincent. In the reign of King Dinis, this complex became a convent, known as Convento dos Corvos, at the request of the Bishop of Silves, D. Fernando Coutinho.

For the protection of the convent, the bishop asked in 1516 that a fortress be built, to protect the convent and the pilgrims who visited it, also having the function of protecting the place from possible pirate attacks.

• Cape Saint Vincent Lighthouse

The Cape Saint Vincent Lighthouse was built at the behest of Queen Maria II, having started operating in 1846. This was abandoned for some years, having started to be improved in 1897 and the works lasted 11 years, having started working again in 1908.

In 1914, an audible signal was introduced and, in 1982, it was automated and became the controller of the Sagres Lighthouse.

Legend of Saint Vincent

Legend has it that, in the 4th century, the Christian Vincent of Zaragoza was tortured to death by the Emperor Diocletian for refusing to offer sacrifices to the pagan gods. With the Muslim invasion, his remains were placed in a boat adrift in the sea, which would reach the coast at Cape of Sagres. Already in the twelfth century, the King Afonso Henriques promised to recover the bones of the martyr Saint Vincent if he conquered Lisbon. He did so in 1173 and it is said that two crows protected the ship during the return voyage to Lisbon. Saint Vincent became the patron saint of Lisbon, having as symbols of Lisbon, the crows and the ship.

Ponta de Sagres

Ponta de Sagres, also known as the Sacred Promontory, has always been used for religious events, and this place was dedicated to the God Saturn.

At Ponta de Sagres are located the Lighthouse and the Fortress of Sagres, and it was in this place that navigators often sheltered their boats before heading to Cape of Saint Vincent, as they preferred to wait for favorable conditions from the wind and sea, for if this did not happen they could be pushed by the waves to the cliffs of the Cape.

• Sagres Fortress

The Fortress of Sagres, also known as Sagres Castle, was built in the 15th century at the behest of Infante D. Henrique. This one suffered a lot with the earthquake of 1755, having been restored in the middle of the 20th century.

It has, inside, a compass rose that was discovered under a church and it is not known for sure what its functionality would be, but some say it could have been a sundial, as well as something that measured the direction of the wind.

• Sagres Lighthouse

Before the Sagres Lighthouse, a temporary small lighthouse had been built in 1894 to commemorate the fifth centenary of Infante D. Henrique. Due to not having much range to help navigation of vessels, mainly commercial, it was the subject of many complaints, having been renovated in 1906, containing a red light that in turn was changed to a longer range, but only started to work in 1923.

In 1960, the new lighthouse in Sagres began to function, having demolished the previous one. In 1983, it became automated, and became being controlled by the Saint Vincent Lighthouse.

Recommendation: Come and watch one of the most beautiful sunsets in the Algarve. We advise you to arrive 30 minutes before the expected sunset time, so that you can better enjoy the sunset, as Sagres is one of the most popular places for families to watch the sunset. If you have a scooter, parking near the fortress will be easier.