Castle of Faro

Parish of Faro
(Sé e São Pedro)

The first landmarks date back to the 8th century BC, to the period of Phoenician colonization of the Western Mediterranean. Its name at the time was Ossónoba and it was one of the most important urban centers in the southern region of Portugal and a commercial hub, integrated into a broad commercial system, based on the exchange of agricultural products, fish and minerals. Between the 3rd century BC. and VIII AD, the city was under Roman, Byzantine and Visigoth rule. Among the Roman remains, the Roman ruins of Milreu stand out. From the Visigothic period there are several sources and evidence (whether from Christian or Arab writers) that refer to a magnificent cathedral, but the remains of which have never been found. The city's Byzantine towers stand out from the Byzantine occupation (Byzantine Empire).

Faro was conquered by the Moors in 713 AD, who built a fortification there (reinforced by a new wall at the behest of the Moorish prince Ben Bekr, in the 9th century). During the Arab occupation, the name Ossónoba prevailed, disappearing only in the 9th century, to give way to Santa Maria do Ocidente, which was then the capital of an ephemeral independent principality.

In the 11th century it became known as Santa Maria de Ibn Harun, named in honor of the founder of the Banu Harun Dynasty, Emirs of the Taifa of Santa Maria do al-Gharb, and the name Ossónoba began to be replaced. The city is fortified with a ring of walls.

Following Portugal's independence in 1143, the first King of Portugal, Afonso I of Portugal, and his successors began the country's expansion to the south, reconquering the territories occupied by the Moors. After the city was taken by Afonso III of Portugal, in 1249, the Portuguese called the city Santa Maria de Faaron or Santa Maria de Faaram.

In the following centuries, Faro became a prosperous city due to its geographical position, its safe port and the exploration and trade of salt and agricultural products from the Algarve interior, commercial exchanges that were increased with the Portuguese discoveries. During this period, there was an important and active Jewish colony which, at the end of the 15th century, locally printed the Torah, the first Portuguese book. The commune of Faro has always been one of the most distinguished in the Algarve region and one of the most notable in the country, at all times, with many artisans and many wealthy people, with commercial connections between Jews and Christians being frequent in the 14th century. The obvious prosperity of the Jews of Faro in the 15th century was interrupted by the charter of December 1496 in which King Manuel I expelled them from Portugal if they did not convert to Catholicism. Thus, officially and only in this sense, Jews ceased to exist in Portugal, which also happened in Faro, where the third wife of King Manuel I ordered the construction of the Convent of Our Lady of the Assumption in Vila Adentro, where the Jewish quarter was located. In 1499, King Manuel I brought about a profound urban change with the creation of new facilities in the city - a hospital, the Church of the Holy Spirit (Church of Misericórdia), the Customs House and a Butcher's Shop - outside the citadels and close to the coast. In 1540, D. João III elevated Faro to the status of city and, in 1577, the seat of the bishopric of Algarve was transferred from Silves to Faro. The looting and burning of the city by English troops led by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, in 1596 damaged the city walls and churches, causing extensive damage to property and property.

The 17th and 18th centuries were a period of expansion for Faro, which was surrounded by a new ring of walls during the Portuguese Restoration War (1640 - 1668), which encompassed the built-up area and farmland in a vast semicircle facing the Ria Formosa.

On 1 November 1755, the Algarve was devastated by a major earthquake which, due to its intensity, also caused damage to other cities in the country, particularly Lisbon. The city of Faro suffered widespread damage to its ecclesiastical heritage, from churches and convents to the Episcopal Palace itself. The walls, the castle with its towers and bastions, the barracks, the guard, warehouses, the customs building, the prison and the convents of S. Francisco and Santa Clara were destroyed and ruined.

Until the end of the 19th century, the city remained within the limits of the 17th-century Fence of Faro. Its gradual growth has gained momentum in recent decades.