Funchal and its delights - The Sacred Art Museum, Sugar Museum and the Se

Instead of trying to list all the things that I did on holiday as a day by day account, I’ve decided to group things into areas – such as trips to Monte (Monte Palace Tropical Gardens is a post on it’s own!) and visits to different museums.

My one regret is that some of the museums won’t let you take photographs – a good example is the Museu de Arte Sacra  - the Sacred Art Museum - (please see http://www.museuartesacrafunchal.org/eng/homepage.html). I can understand why, because the exhibits - especially the metal work and the Bishop’s robes are stunning.

But for me, it’s the paintings by the Flemish and Portuguese artists that I would have loved to have been able to take photographs of. Admittedly, there are postcards available, but they don’t show all the pieces.

However, where there is a will… I managed to get a couple of shots of the one picture that I really liked - Ascension of Christ, by Fernão Gomes. This was due to the fact that the curators were not as vigilant as normal and Mum was keeping watch for me!

Admittedly, my picture isn't as good as this one:

Ok - this came from the website - my dratted pictures aren't as clear as this one - devine retribution I guess....)

Another of the little museums is the Núcleo Museológico Cidade do Açúcar – also known as the Sugar Museum. Ok – it’s not massive, but at least you can take photos – without having to dodge curators! It aims to tell the story of the city of Funchal in the 16th and 17th centuries, and has several interesting artefacts – including the sugar cones – a product that allowed Madeira to get some of the art that is located in Museu de Arte Sacra and also the cathedral.

This is a sugar cone - and it was the method used to transport the sugar - why the traders chose this shape, I can only guess - my guess is that it was easier to ship without damaging the moulds that were made of terracotta.

This museum also had a well that was used by Christopher Columbus during his stay in Maderia.


The most amazing part about this well (apart from the fact it survived) is the fact that it still has water in it!

The Sé (or Cathedral) was truly magnificent. To the casual observer, it doesn’t look too special from the outside. But it’s when you get inside that the magic comes to life. The artwork on the walls and the main altar was something special.

Ah well, I guess I should call this quits – I’ve got washing to get sorted out before I go and get bits and pieces sorted out...

Karen

Now some things you hold on to - and some you just let go
Seems like the ones that you can't have
Are the ones that you want most