Santarém Cathedral was formerly the church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição of the Jesuit college. It is a 17th-century church with a white, highly ornate façade, and has been a national monument since 1917.
On the Camino
The 33 km (20.5 miles) stage from Azambuja ends in Praça Sá da Bandeira, the cathedral square. It is the first thing pilgrims see when they reach the centre of Santarém.
Its history
The Jesuits built it where the Royal Palace of the Alcáçova Nova stood, abandoned since the time of John II. When the Marquis of Pombal expelled the order, Queen Maria I handed it over to the Patriarchal Seminary, which occupied it until the 20th century. It became a cathedral when the diocese of Santarém was created in 1975. Next door, in the bishop’s palace, is the Diocesan Museum, opened in 2014, with some 150 pieces of sacred art.