Washed by gentle waves of the warm Atlantic Ocean and blown by salty winds, the extreme point of Europe, Cape St. Vincent and Sagres Point (its name means “Holy Promontory”), have been of religious significance since the Neolithic period. This is evidenced by the ancient stone menhirs, which were installed in places of religious cults and rituals. Later, the capes lost their sacred significance and became sailors’ havens. If Cape St. Vincent with the rocks that noisily crash dangerous waves frightened even experienced mariners, Sagres Point was a safe harbor for them, where they could calmly prepare for further travel. The story of the legendary explorer Prince Henry the Navigator who started the Age of Discovery began here.

Today, Sagres Point is only home to a small preserved Church of Our Lady of Grace (“Nossa Senhora da Graça”), which stands on the site of an old chapel built by Henry a year before his death in the middle of the 15th century. The ancient church keeps the unique statues of St. Francis and St. Vincent, brought here from the ancient Franciscan monastery on Cape St. Vincent.

Next to the church, there is a “padrão” (stone pillar) topped with a Latin cross and the royal coat of arms of Portugal. There are similar stone pillars over the country, as they indicated the lands conquered by Portuguese discoverers in those days.

The main gem of Sagres Point is a great medieval fortress named after it. Founded in the 15th century, the stone citadel was repeatedly attacked by the terrifying sea pirate Francis Drake and was almost destroyed by the strongest earthquake in 1755. For a long time, the ancient fortress had remained empty and forgotten until its restoration started at the beginning of the 20th century. The only constructions survived from the first building are the original observation tower and a giant tunnel leading to a square with a mosaic, the largest wind rose in the world with a diameter of 43 meters.