Other Churches

Ribeira Grande [“Cidade Velha”], Santiago Island, Cape Verde

Religious Architecture

In the 1960s the Portuguese State promoted a campaign to restore Cape Verde’s monuments. Reference was made at the time to the Church of Our Lady of Light or Saint Lucy on São Brás Street and the Church of Saint Peter, both in ruins. Outside the city, near the eastern shore, the Chapel of Our Lady of Light is mentioned, considered an important legacy from the 15th century, with ogival arches attributed to the 1462-1465 period, as well as the Chapel of Saint John the Baptist, near the village of São João west of Ribeira Grande. The latter is classical in appearance, with two towers and a curious small four-armed decorative swastika. The map of Santiago Island also indicates the chapels of Saint Anthony and Santana (near Belém, north of Ribeira Grande), Saint Dominic (near Rui Vaz, also north of Ribeira Grande) and Nazareth, near the village of Nazaré.

• José Manuel Fernandes