Miracles Chapel

About the Miracles Chapel

The History of the island of Madeira is deeply marked by the spiritual life of its people. The Miracles Chapel keeps the memory of one of the most symbolic moments of that history, as was built on the site where the first mass was held in Madeira, on the day after the discovery of the island, in 1419.

Located in Largo do Senhor dos Milagres, in Machico, this is a vernacular-architecture religious temple with Baroque features. It was built on the site where the Cristo Chapel (or Mercy Chapel) once stood, after it was destroyed in 1803 following a flood that affected the region.

We can still find several stones of the pointed-arch portico of the original building. The remaining are Neomanueline replicas. On the other hand, inside the Miracles Chapel we can find an image of crucified Christ that, after being washed out to sea by the flood, was 'miraculously' recovered three days later.

The flood of 1803 is annually remembered during a procession that receives thousands of pilgrims who come here to fulfil their promises. For this reason, the Milagres Chapel, on Madeira's east coast, has an invaluable historical and symbolic value.