Madeira and its landmarks

Madeira and its Landmarks: part 8

Our Lady of the Mountain

Home to a beautiful set of botanical gardens, Nossa Senhora do Monte is found North West of Funchal in Madeira, Portugal.

My last post on Madeira featured some of the sights around the park that is found at the foot of the main church. You can take a look by clicking {here}.

We took the cable car up to this beautiful vista on this occasion. Earlier in our trip, we walked the streets on Christmas Day in Madeira. This made for a quieter, secluded, and much more romantic tour of the area as very few people were around.

This second visit was taken closer to the end of our trip- when the days were becoming half filled with rain. Fortunately, we arrived to the Mountain after the rain had passed.

The main purpose of our second trip was to explore the gorgeous 19th century white limestone church located at the top of the mountain. This church has significance because it is the resting place of the exiled Hapsburg King Charles I (nephew of Franz Ferdinand) and his wife Zita.

The flight of stairs leading up to the church was exhilarating!

We did not stay for the church service that was about to begin. I was happy to have climbed my way to the top of the mountain to enter the church vestibule, but I would have fallen asleep if I tried to sit through a church service at 8 months pregnant.

So we enjoyed the views from the courtyard, and just admired the beauty of creation from afar.