Cape St. Vincent
Believed to be the End of the World, until the
discovery and European colonisation of the Americas, this is where the cliffs of the most
South-westerly point of Europe jut into the Atlantic Ocean.
From the Phoenicians rounding the cape to head north for the tin
islands, to Sir Francis Drake, heading east to Cadiz, to modern-day yachtsmen, tankers and
freighters, this was and still is an important navigational reference point.
Perched above the edge of the rolling waves
is a lighthouse, whose beam can be seen up to 32 miles away at sea. This landmark is set
within the remaining buildings of the 17th Century Franciscan Convent. Originally a
hermitage founded in the 13th Century A.D., the convent was established in the 15th
Century.
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