Alvor Castle
South of the Old Village there used to be a small hisn, in the area of the future Castle Square, with a military garrison, whose function would be to protect the fishing settlement against enemy landings in the southern beach.
As for the so-called Alvor Castle, of which two sections of wall with an annexed house still remain, it is difficult to find unanimity in the foundational chronology of this property. It is believed that the origins of the Castle date back to the Muslim era, with its founding likely to be associated with the end of the Emirate or beginning of the Caliphate, due to the quadrangular plant of the property and the apparatus used, with irregular blocks arranged horizontally, mortared with lime, rubble and pottery shards.
Marabouts of São João (St. John) and São Pedro (St. Peter)
These cubic-shaped chapels with a spherical dome of Arabic influence evoke the Muslim marabouts used as ascetic burial sites.
Mother Church of the Divine Saviour (Igreja do Divino Salvador)
It is a building dating from the 16th century and rebuilt in the 18th century. The richly carved main entrance –one of the most beautiful in the Algarve– and the side entrance are Manueline-style. The sacristy, annexed to the Church, is an ancient Arabic marabout adapted to new functions.
The churchyard offers an excellent view over the Ria de Alvor (Alvor Estuary), the houses and the surrounding sea.
Ria de Alvor (Alvor Estuary)
On one side, the sea; on the other, the liquid mirror of a wide estuary that stretches inland, separated by a wide and extensive dune.
