We stayed in a lovely apartment just on the outskirts of Lagos that was decked out with all the equipment that we could need. Hazel and Bryn, the owners of Funchal Ridge, recommended many places in the Algarve to visit. We decided to follow them up on the recommendation of Capela Dos Ossos in the small town of Alcantarilha.
We skipped the new main motorway and stuck to the old highway (got to keep away from those tolls!) following directions from a road map!
We came off the highway and straight on to tight, cobblestoned roads.
As well as the map we had the use of phone GPS as we weren’t entirely sure of the exact location of the Chapel. We came to a T-junction and followed the GPS and a very vague sign and ended up 5km away in a little village that seemed to be closed for siesta. Executing a quick u-turn, turns out the Chapel was where the T-junction was!
The Chapel is situated behind the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição and was constructed in the 16th Century and built on the site of the old church cemetery.
The interior is lined with skulls and thigh bones of dead parishioners.
The Chapel is about 4m x 4m and the doorway is barred so that the bones can not be stolen.
A crucifix of Jesus Christ is placed high on the back wall.
I personally didn’t find the Chapel eerie or scary, but that could have been due to the sunlight streaming through the doors behind me.
Rattle's Ramblings 