Nossa Srª do Desterro Convent Ruins

Founded in 1631, the Nossa Senhora do Desterro Convent , with an Manueline architecture style, is nowadays in ruins, surrounded by a grove of trees, with a magnificent panorama over stunning Monchique, yet still conserving part of its big charm and beauty.
According to the legend, two sailor men in danger will have made a promise in the sea: they would build a church in the first place of the land of Portugal that they could sight from the ocean. The legend affirms also that the founder had brought with himself from India a small image of Our Lady, in ivory, which after the founder death, the friars venerated like a relic, and so, to save it from a big storm in 1834, one of them concealed under his habit and asked to a lady to collect it.
In 1632 the Convent was handed over to the Franciscan Order, having had severe damages in the big earthquake of 1755.
Property of the town council of Monchique, the Convent has a project approved for the construction of a hotel unit, maintaining nevertheless, its original appearance.
The access to the Convent can be made either by foot (distance of 500 metres from Monchique) or by car through an asphalted road that ends at about 100 meters from the Convent.