Peninha Sanctuary

Peninha stands on a granite outcrop at around four hundred and fifty metres at the western end of the Serra de Sintra, and the site is older than the buildings: a hermitage stood here in the Middle Ages, with rock-cut graves of the late twelfth century, with the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Peninha built and rebuilt afterwards, its interior lined with eighteenth-century azulejo panels showing scenes from the life of the Virgin. Beside it stands an unfinished house begun in the 1910s by Carvalho Monteiro, the same man who built the Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra, in a similar romantic-esoteric spirit; it was never completed. The reason to make the climb is the view: the whole western coast from Guincho to Cabo da Roca, the dunes, the Atlantic, and the serra behind. The chapel is usually locked. The last stretch is a steep path over granite from a small parking area.

History

Excavations found a medieval hermitage with rock-cut graves from the end of the 12th century and a cistern, and in the reign of John III, between 1521 and 1557, the site became known for an apparition of the Virgin to a young shepherdess. The present chapel, built with help from King Pedro II, was completed in 1711; the first Count of Almedina bought Peninha in 1892, and António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro began a mansion here that was never finished (Wikipedia, Sanctuary of Peninha).

What to look for

• The chapel - a small building with eighteenth-century azulejo panels inside.
• The unfinished house - Carvalho Monteiro's abandoned project beside it.
• The view - the coast from Guincho to Cabo da Roca and the open Atlantic.
• The crag - a granite outcrop at the western end of the Sintra serra.

When to go

April to October; the serra is often in cloud, which removes the view. One to two hours. Late afternoon for light over the sea.

What to expect

The chapel is usually locked, so the azulejos are often not visible. The final path is steep over bare granite and slippery when wet. Very windy at the top. Fog closes the view frequently. No facilities.

Nearby

Cabo da Roca is north-west; Guincho and Cascais are south.

Key facts