Funchal Cathedral (Sé)
Funchal Cathedral (Sé) features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Funchal. Give it roughly ~30 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type religious
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Funchal Funchal guide
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About Funchal Cathedral (Sé)
Funchal's late-15th-century cathedral, one of the oldest buildings on the island of Madeira, with a magnificent Mudéjar ceiling of carved island cedar over its three naves.
The Sé, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, is the mother church of the Diocese of Funchal and one of the few buildings to survive almost unchanged from Madeira's early colonisation. It was begun in the late 1400s under the future King Manuel I; mass was celebrated here by 1508, the year Funchal became a city, and Pope Leo X raised it to a cathedral in 1514. Gothic with Manueline touches, it is built of dark volcanic stone from the cliffs of Cabo Girão, its white walls framed with dark corners.
Its great treasure is overhead: a Mudéjar-style ceiling of island cedar spanning the nave, aisles and transept, worked with carved geometric panels, rosettes and gilded pendants, and conserved in an award-winning project in 2013 and 2014. The carved choir stalls show saints and prophets in 16th-century dress, with Madeiran touches such as a cherub carrying a bunch of bananas. Over the high altar hangs a polyptych of twelve painted panels from the 1510s. The cathedral was classified as a National Monument in 1910.
Did you know? The cathedral was begun in the late 1400s and was already in use by 1508, the year Funchal became a city; it is one of the very few buildings to survive almost unchanged from Madeira's early colonisation.
How long is a visit to Funchal Cathedral (Sé)?
Set aside roughly ~30 min for Funchal Cathedral (Sé). That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Funchal Cathedral (Sé) worth your time?
Funchal Cathedral (Sé) is among the 13 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Funchal, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Funchal
Day 1 of the Funchal in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Funchal Cathedral (Sé)
Preview the Funchal tour free in the Gingerguide app.