Senhor da Pedra

The Capela do Senhor da Pedra sits on a rock outcrop on the beach at Miramar, south of Porto, hexagonal in plan and whitewashed, with the Atlantic breaking around it at high tide and a strip of sand connecting it to the shore at low. It was built in 1686, and it is generally accepted that the site was used for pre-Christian worship before that - a common enough pattern, and the rock's prominence makes it plausible - with the chapel raised over it in the way churches were commonly placed on older sacred ground. It is opened for a pilgrimage in early June and occasional services, and is otherwise closed, so most visitors see only the outside. The beach either side is a working suburban strand reached by the Porto suburban railway, with the Aveiro line running behind the dunes. Waves reach the chapel base in swell.

What you'll find

• The hexagonal chapel - a 1686 building on a rock outcrop in the surf.
• The tidal access - a sand strip at low water, cut off when the tide rises.
• The older site - a prominence widely held to have carried earlier worship.
• The June pilgrimage - the one time of year the chapel is reliably open.

When to go

April to October; check the tide, since the rock is cut off at high water. Thirty to sixty minutes. Early June brings the pilgrimage and the chapel being open.

What to expect

The chapel is closed almost all year - the interior is not part of a normal visit. Waves reach the base in swell and people have been caught out on the rock. The beach is suburban with a railway behind it. Cold Atlantic water.

Nearby

Miramar and Aguda beaches run either side; Vila Nova de Gaia and Porto are north.