Sé de Angra do Heroísmo

It is often said that living on an island intensifies faith, by isolation, by distance, by the difficulties people have to face. The current cathedral was built on the former Church of São Salvador, probably dating from 1496; the main altar remains from the original church. Over time, there have been several restorations as a result of damage sustained by adverse weather conditions or calamities, such as the 1980 earthquake or the 1984 fire. In 1991 it received Pope John Paul II, the first Pope to visit the island.