Ceremonial Mace

This ceremonial mace or staff was still carried by the Cathedral guard in the twentieth century, particularly in solemn ceremonies. It is an insignia, that is, a symbol intended to represent the authority of its bearer.
The object just as it looks today results from a number of alterations made as far back as the 17th century, when the upper part or head of the mace was replaced. It is thought that the original head might have had an architectural configuration, similarly to the processional cross of Funchal Cathedral (Sé), also commissioned by King Manuel I.