From outside, the church looks like a typical construction from southern Portugal
This white and blue church was built in 1760 on a public square at the southern end of the old town. On this site there had been a chapel dating from 1484, which held an image of the Virgin that was believed to grant miracles and protect from the plague. The image was once taken to Lisbon, but perished in a fire resulting from the Great Earthquake of 1755.
The interior of the church
The chapel was also the headquarters of a sisterhood of single women, who organized processions and street festivals. Those traditions have disappeared, and the current church is dedicated to St. Martha.
Rococo tile panel illustrating the Birth of Jesus
Inside it features a gilded altar with small 18th-century statues and two rococo tile panels -- one depicting the Annunciation and the other the Birth of Jesus.
The side of the church, facing the public square
Across the church is a park accessed through a gate, with a playground for children and a terrace overlooking the Atlantic.