Igreja de S. Martinho (St. Martinho Church), Sintra

In 1147, King Afonso Henriques conquered Sintra. He ordered the construction of at least four Christian churches near the newly captured palace. In 1241, mainly because of the church's proximity to the palace, the Saint Martinho Church was granted the status of Cathedral.

Ironically, the church prospered during the the time of the bubonic plague. Rich citizens who died willed their wealth to the church. King Manuel himself had willed personal funds for the maintenance of Saint Martin's Church.

In the devastating Lisbon earthquake of 1755. The roof collapsed. The church remained in ruins until the king, Joseph I, grew tired of seeing it on his way to the palace. He urged the prime minister, the Marquis de Pombal, to restore it. Pombal hired architect Mateus Vicente de Oliveira for the job.

The restored church is a single vessel building with an oversized square bell tower. The tower is in two sections. The lower section has clocks and the upper section has a carillon behind four arched portals. The top of the tower has spires at each corner and a small dome and spire in the center.

The interior is a single nave with a vaulted ceiling. The ceiling is painted to give the illusion of marble and stucco designs. The arch over the altar is decorated with paintings of the Passion of Christ by Sintra artist Diogo de Contreiras. The altar is Baroque. It has gilded sculptures in niches and statues of Saints Martin and Anthony.