Santo Amaro Chapel

The devotion to Saint Amaro in the municipality of Santa Cruz goes back a long way. As a result, a chapel was built in honour of this patron saint, the Santo Amaro Chapel, in the first half of the 20th century. This religious space was built on the rubble of the old hermitage that had been built in 1641.

The current Santo Amaro Chapel was built with a very different approach to the one used in the old chapel. The differences are striking: from the position of the altar to the change from a Gothic-style façade to a simpler Baroque one. When you visit the current chapel, your eyes are immediately drawn to an upholstered and gilded wooden image of Saint Amaro.

The Santo Amaro Chapel celebrates the festivities in honour of its patron saint every year, on 15 January. Interestingly, on the island of Madeira these festivities are associated with the end of the Christmas celebrations and the tradition of 'cleaning the closets'.