Museu Municipal de Faro
Museu Arqueológico e Lapidar Infante D. Henrique
Coordinates: 37°00’46.5″N 7°56’01.9″W
The construction of the building, outside being rather plain, started in 1519. In 1549 it was finished. Rich nuns from Beja had donated their private assets for the construction of the convent Convento de Nossa Senhora da Assunção.
During the invasion of Faro by English forces in the year 1596 the convent was heavily damaged and, after their drawdown, reconstructed.
The earthquake of 1755 brought about such a big damage that the convent was uninhabitable for 6 years. In the year 1836 the nuns abandoned the convent definitely. The building was sold and was used for some time as cork manufactory.
Since 1960 the convent is in possession of the city of Faro and is applied since 1973 as museum.
The museum shows roughly 6,000 years of history of the Algarve in an impressing way.
The patio is a garden that is surrounded completely by the building. Lovely and particular is the two-floor cloister.
Between 5000 and 3000 years a. Chr. n. megaliths (menhirs) were erected on many places along the coast.
A somewhat painstaking but quite effective way of grinding the grain for the daily meal.
Traces from four centuries of Roman dominion over today’s area of the Algarve.
Life under Moorish dominion during the time of 711 to 1249 is depicted extensively (in Portuguese and English).
Household items, lamps and pottery from that time are shown in the Sala Islamica.
A mosaic of 9,4 m x 3,4 m from the 3rd century p. Chr. n. was found in 1976 in Faro during construction works. The Mosaico do Oceano is dedicated to the sea god and is accomodated in a separate room. It is supposed that the big mosaic belonged to a public building. Unfortunately, only a part has survived.
One part of the museum shows the history of the industrialisation and of the younger past.
Some rooms are employed for changing exhibitions, as e. g. for works of Portuguese artists.
Opening hours:
01.06. – 30.09. Tue. – Fri. 10.00 – 19.00 h
Sat. + Sun. 11.30 – 18.00 h
01.10. – 31.05. Tue. – Fri. 10:00 – 18:00 h
Sat. + Sun. 10.30 – 17.00 h
Closed on Mondays.