Some ancient remains
In early Antiquity, the territory that corresponds to today's Algarve was dotted with small Iberian and Celtic villages. A few ruins in Algarve villages still bear witness to this first human presence on Portuguese soil. For lovers of archaeology and history, the Neolithic remains of Anta da Pedra do Alagar no Ameixial (Loulé) and Anta das Pedras Altas at Cachopo (Tavira) are not to be missed.
The Romans left Lusitania - a province in the extreme south-west of the Iberian Peninsula, founded by Augustus - not only their language, but also their architecture. In late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, temples, bridges, stately homes, aqueducts, theaters and amphitheatres dominated the urban landscape. Most of these monuments have disappeared over time, but a few ruins, such as Milreu near Estoi, are a reminder of this bygone splendor.
Moorish architecture and traditional housing
In contrast to the rest of Europe, the Iberian Peninsula, and Portugal in particular, remained largely unaffected by Romanesque art, and therefore saw little development. On the other hand, the country, under Moorish rule at the time (711-1249), was forever marked by the influence of a profoundly Muslim architecture.
Of all the regions of Portugal, the Algarve is undoubtedly the one whose architecture was most heavily influenced by Moorish occupation. In addition to the fortresses of the period, many villages are filled with small houses with white walls and jagged chimneys. A fine example is Cacela Velha, east of Tavira.
Traditional Algarve houses are painted white and covered with a flat or slightly sloping roof. The rectangular shape contrasts with the doorways and corridors. At times, it's as if you were in a village in northern North Africa. These traditional houses generally follow the same pattern: square, lime-painted with blue-tinted bangs and moldings on the front. Chimneys are often ornate, and roofs serve as terraces.
However, there are a few unsuspected variations. For example, roofs are not always the same shape, sometimes flat, as in the "cube" houses of Olhão, or hipped (four-sided), in Faro and Tavira. This form of roof, inspired by Far Eastern architecture, is very well suited to the climate of southern Portugal, allowing a refreshing circulation of ambient air. These characteristic roofs can still be found in three Faro districts: Bairro da Vila-Adentro, Bairro Ribeirinho and the Moorish quarter, Bairro da Mouraria.
Chimneys also vary in shape: prismatic, square, cylindrical or rectangular, there's something for everyone! They are also the most remarkable sign of the Moorish occupation of the secular habitat. True social markers, fireplaces were more or less elaborate, depending on the owner's wealth. Generally white, some are ochre and even blue. The finest examples can be found inland, in Martinlongo and Monchique.
A relatively prosperous kingdom after the final victory over the Muslims in the 13th century, the Algarve experienced its first artistic effervescence in the 14th and 15th centuries, with major architectural achievements built in Gothic style. As soon as the Moors left Faro in 1249, a Gothic cathedral was built on the same site as the mosque, itself built on the foundations of a Roman temple. This is Faro Cathedral (1251).
The Manueline hold
Straddling the Gothic and modern eras, the Manueline period is undoubtedly one of Portugal's most distinctive aesthetics, giving rise to some of the finest monuments in Europe's cultural heritage. Although it takes its name from King Manuel I (1495-1521), it was a French-born architect, Diogo Boytac (1460-1528), who designed the first Manueline building: the cloister of the monastery at Batalha (Estremadura). This style evolved from the Gothic to an ornamental form halfway to the Baroque, which it prefigured. The Manueline style offers a rather unusual mix of genres: pillars are no longer straight, but spiral-shaped, and door and window moldings are adorned with motifs of ropes, anchors, globes, exotic flowers and, above all, the cross of Christ. This style, marked by details evoking the passion for the sea and the country's prosperity (from the discovery of the Americas to the beginnings of the slave trade), disappeared with the death of King Manuel I. In the Algarve, there are a few examples of this movement, including Faro's Carmel church, whose characteristic bell towers are adorned with shells, and the pilasters framing the door are twisted, in the purest Manueline expression. This style, which flourished throughout the maritime empire, is also found in the Azores. In front of the Carmel church, the same motifs can be found in the black-and-white paving that can be found in all Portuguese towns, like a marking on the ground to designate the country.
As for the Renaissance, it left few traces in Portugal, and certainly not in the region, primarily because of the Manueline domination of the first half of the 16th century, but also because the humanist ideals that inspired it were absent from a country scarred by the Inquisition.
Quite logically, Baroque succeeded the Manueline style. The term "baroque" actually derives from the Portuguese word barroco (irregularly shaped coastal rock) in the second half of the 16th century. So expect to see many monuments in this style during your visit. Indeed, many of the churches built in earlier periods were renovated in the Baroque style when it was the norm. Notable examples include the superb chapel of São Lourenço in Almancil, or the churches of Santo António in Lagos and Misericórdia in Monchique. It was also at this time that blue and white tiles, the famous azulejos, became part of architectural customs.
Modern and contemporary architecture
During the 19th century, successive economic and political crises led to few major architectural achievements. At the end of the century, the rising bourgeoisie fell under the spell of the Art Nouveau movement. As in Vienna, Paris and Brussels, buildings in this style sprang up all over Portugal. Many houses were covered in geometric or floral motifs, mainly on chimneys, as in Luz de Tavira.
During the 20th century, major urban development projects were often commissioned by authoritarian regimes. The Algarve was largely forgotten. It was only through tourism from the mid-1970s onwards that the region underwent an architectural transformation, for better and often for worse. The entire coastal zone from Faro to Lagos has been urbanized to excess, mainly for tourist facilities (hotels and villas).
A highly original example of early 20th-century architecture is theEcoteca de Olhão, the João Lúcio Museum dedicated to fishing. The geometry of its exterior staircases and floor plan is puzzling, to say the least, although the interior is steeped in Moorish heritage.
