A BEACH WITH A CHURCH ON IT....

 At the time of low tide

One of the most beautiful beaches in Portugal is Miramar, near Oporto. It has a long stretch of sand bathed by green and blue water. But what makes this beach so special, is an old church built on rocks by the sea on the same place where there was once a pagan temple.

Capela Do Senhor Da Pedra (“Chapel of the Lord of Stone”)  was erected in the 17th century, and is built in the shape of a hexagon, nestled on top of a bed of rocks, as the name suggests.

At first glance it looks like the Atlantic could easily swallow this chapel whole, and indeed every day the sea surrounds the base and licks the foot of the stairs during high tide. And yet it stands.

At the time of high tide

As I wanted to take a photo at the time of the two different tides, I had to kill the hours in-between. I walked several kilometres along a pathway which passed by the local golf course, golf Miramar is one of the oldest Portuguese golf courses and one of the most traditional in Portugal.

As I saw this man sketching, I stopped my walk and talked to him for a while. He was a fisherman and told me that he often goes there whenever he feels like sketching and by doing it releases stress.

The chapel serves as a point of reference for fisherman, like a lighthouse, and has the odd distinction of having its back to the sea, giving weight to the local belief that it attracts practitioners of sorcery.

This is just behind the chapel and said to be the meeting point for all those mysterious nocturnal visits that are rumoured to be the work of witchcraft and practices of black magic...

There are two tile panels of tiles to the side of the front door, one describing it as the oldest place of worship in the parish, while the other describes it as an archaeological site.

As I left the place the wings of my imagination started to fly high and above the ocean...

~~Thanks for stopping by ~~

~~May you have a wonderful rest of the week ~~