Church of São Pedro (St. Peter), Ericeira

The Church of São Pedro in Ericeira, situated at the town’s square with the same name, became the main church in 1530, a period to which the Renaissance-style image of St. Peter, visible on the southern side door, has been dated. However, the building has been documented since 1446, a period in which it was built as a small chapel then located outside the town.

The transformation of the chapel into a church began in the first half of the 17th century and ended in the middle of 1745. The whole building is filled with elements of rococo architecture and figures alluding to the story of the miraculous fishing expedition of the Apostle Peter. In the 19th century, the choir was constructed on the north side, and the interior was enriched with numerous paintings sourced from closed convents.

At the baptismal chapel adjacent to the building, the Manueline stonework is preserved, the oldest part of the monument, declared a Public Interest Site in 1984. The feast of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of Conception) and arraial (hamlet) of São Pedro is celebrated every year in the church yard.