Inside the walled area of the castle of Palmela, donated by D. Sancho I in the 12th Century to the Military Order of Santiago, were carried out major works  in the 15th Century, particularly in the western sector, where a church was built and the convent of Santiago was born. Here  it would be installed the headquarters of the Military Order.

Later,  late 17th Century and  early 18th Century, a new convent was build.

Fallen into ruins after the extinction of the religious orders in 1834, was the whole place classified as a national monument in 1910. (DG 136, of June 23, 1910) In 1940 the DGEMN proceeded to partial restoration of the Castle.

In 1969 is approved the change of  the convent into the famous  Inn, a project by the architect  Luis dos Santos Castro Lobo, which was inaugurated in 1979.

After archaeological explorations in the eastern area some spaces were turned into museum rooms overlooking the excavated areas.

The cloisters of the former convent, with galleries transformed into recreational areas are some of the beautiful characteristics of this Inn The restaurant is located in the old refectory of the friars, with thick walls and the original pulpit where religious readings were made during meals.

From the 23 rooms and 5 suites, spread over two floors, one can choose to see the sea, the village or the Castle, depending on weather conditions and orientation. Of sober decoration also have these thick walls of 1.40 meters.

It complements the set of eighteenth-century fortifications, raised in the context of the Restoration war of independence from Portugal, spread to the coast from Setúbal to the Forte de São Domingos da Shuffles, near Cape Espichel.

The foundation of a convent in Arrábida date of the end of 1538-1539, when Bishop John of Lancaster 1st Duke of Aveiro promised to Brother Martin (Martin de Santa Maria Benavides), an Andalusian barefoot friar of the Order of St. Francis, fulfill the his desire to lead a hermit’s life and exclusively dedicated to Our Lady.

The duke gave him the Capuchin Convent, where already was an open chapel for worship in that worshiped the image known as Our Lady of Arrábida. It is then that there comes St. Peter of Alcantara help your relative, the Spanish friar to create the Franciscan Custody Arrábida then subject to the Minister General of the Franciscan convent. Later custody Arrábida was elevated to Arrábida Province and was formally subject, albeit with a high degree of autonomy, the Minister General of the Franciscan Observant. The Franciscans friars, as they were popularly known, began by call itself officially as Discalced Franciscans and later as followed the constitutions drawn up by St. Peter of Acântara, Discalced Franciscans Alcantarines or abbreviated Franciscans Alcantarines.

Jorge de Lencastre, son of the first Duke of Aveiro, continued the works in the Convent of Arrábida and did build a fence to seal the area of the convent. Later, Don Alvaro de Lencastre, his cousin, had built the inn that served as his bed and designed the watchtowers on the crest of the hill, linking the convent to the foot of the mountain, leaving, however, three unfinished. In 1650, Dona Ana Manique de Lara, widow of the Duke of Torres Novas and daughter of Don Alvaro, he built two chapels. In turn, the son of Don Alvaro, D. Anthony of Lancaster, had built the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus.

The Mua Stone Natural Monument is a natural monument created in 1997 (Decree No. 20/97) 1 in Sesimbra and from 2005 became part of the limits of the Arrábida Natural Park and consisting of tracks with Sauropods footprints.

In the mid-fourteenth century, a chapel was built to save an image of the Virgin, venerated long on top of the cliff where it was found. Around it grew modests homes to receive pilgrims in there demand, giving later (1715) place the construction of hostels with houses and shops, also known as House of Tapers.

To Lay of the Cape flock various and numerous groups of candles (large groups of pilgrims). Was the designated Candle Saloio (pilgrims nearby the capital) that fitted encouraging the construction of the sanctuary, as can be read on a plaque on the wall of the south side inns: “Homes of Our Lady cable made by Syrian account of. hillbillies in the year 1757 p. accommodation of stewards that may give bodo “.

Architectural ensemble of the Sanctuary

The Church of Our Lady of the Cape seventeenth century has his back to the sea. The church interior is decorated with baroque, votive paintings and frescoes. Also inside the church is a body with final characteristics of the century. XVIII / beginning of the century. XIX, possibly made in the workshop of Joaquim António Peres Fontanes.

On each side of the church there is a queue of accommodation for pilgrims called House of Tapers or simply inns, forming the Terreiro at Cape Espichel in the background one can see a cruise, where truly begins the Sanctuary.

Next to the church is the Chapel of Remembrance, a vaulted chapel, with blue tile panels and white inside. Outside are two pictures of tiled images that are highly degraded.

Next to the hostels are the ruins of the “Opera House”, built in 1770. It was designed to provide cultural activities, especially theater, for the pilgrims and revelers, having been used in shows promoted by the royal family, which also remained in the sanctuary throughout the festival period. In his stage act reached the greatest artists and theater groups from Europe, especially Italians, and the building divisions of support that ensured the permanence of these groups during the festivities.

Out of space itself the Shrine of Our Lady of the Cape, but still within the set is the Water House and the Aqueduct at Cape Espichel, very important buildings to the Sanctuary because this led to drinking water.

In the year 1165 was created the Parish of Our Lady of Sesimbra Castle.

The present church is from the early eighteenth century, 1721, as it suffered serious damage over the centuries.

In the 20th century, during 1955 the church loses faithful because a new church was born, much closer to the population. And the Castle Church begins to degrade with the ceiling dropping.

In order to rehabilitate the church, there were several interventions between 1965 and 2001, the year it was again open to the public.

This reopening coincides with nine centuries of history, eight years of the charter letter which laid the foundation for the Church of Our Lady of the Castle.

Weakly manned, the fortification of Sesimbra was initially taken by the forces of King Afonso Henriques (1112-1185) on February 21, 1165, that have carried out repairs and reinforcements in defense.

The conquest of Silves Castle in 1189 by the forces of King Sancho I (1185-1211), raised a Muslim counter-offensive that resulted not only in loss of Silves as much of the region of Alentejo, to the left bank of the Tagus river. The inhabitants of Sesimbra, alerted by Alcacer do Sal and fall sick with fever who then raging in the kingdom, left the village, which thereby was occupied and devastated by the forces of Caliph Abu Yusuf Ya’qub Almohad al-Mansur (1191).

Sancho I (1185-1211) reapossou up this village around 1200 with the help of Crusaders Northern Europe (then usually called francs), which offered land for colonization. On 15 August 1201 the sovereign granted Foral Charter to the village, determining his reconstruction of the castle “from the ground up.” This charter was confirmed by his son and successor, Alfonso II of Portugal (1211-1223).