What to expect
Founded in 1631, the convent was damaged in the 1755 earthquake and later closed after the suppression of religious orders. Its subsequent sale and reuse left a complex that survives as a ruin rather than a functioning monastery.
The hillside setting is important to the experience, but it should not be mistaken for a maintained interior visitor circuit. View the remains only from permitted, safe areas and do not enter unstable structures or assume that open ground means public access.
- Also known as
- Desterro convent ruins Monchique
Planning your visit
- Ruined historic site, not an active convent or guaranteed interior attraction.
- Respect property boundaries and keep out of unstable structures.
