Sacred Art Museum of Funchal

A fascinating collection of paintings, carvings and treasures, many of which are surprisingly old. The exhibits are nicely displayed in spacious surroundings, with descriptions in Portuguese and English. Well worth a visit.

If you like religious art, this is the place. Even if you don't, religion serves as a core part of the Portuguese identity and their history. Including its evolution and survival as a close-knit culture. The founding of Madeira is intertwined with this history and the museum is a great showcase for the art of the period. From the 1400's onwards. A worthy visit.

Very interesting experience. A very good collection of church and sacred paintings and sculptures. Also, a surprisingly good collections of (Russian) Orthodox icons.

An intriguing museum with a well-curated layout, making the exhibition easy to explore. The descriptions were thorough and engaging. The first floor showcases liturgical artifacts, including intricately crafted chalices, ciboria, tabernacles, incense burners, and other sacred vessels made from gold, silver, and precious metals. Visitors can also admire exquisite oil paintings and delve into Madeira’s history through a detailed timeline. Be sure not to miss the terrace on the third floor, adorned with magnificent ceramic tiles and mosaics, offering stunning views of the city and the ocean.

The museum has an interesting collection of Northern European paintings all of which are attributed. It was a surprise to find a marvelous collection of Russian icons on the top floor. And a real treat was the open air terrace on the top with a great panorama on the roofs of the old town and around.

The museum offers a beautiful and thoughtfully presented collection. Despite most works being Flemish acquisitions, it was a pleasure to explore two full floors of sacred art. However, the third floor left me deeply disturbed. In the context of three years of full-scale war and over a decade of Russian aggression against Ukraine, including the targeted destruction of churches, monasteries, cultural sites, and the looting of our religious heritage — it is profoundly inappropriate for a museum in an EU member state to showcase Russian icons with prayers, stripped of context, as if they represent peace and devotion. Displaying these objects today, without acknowledgment of the ongoing war crimes and cultural erasure, is not neutrality- it is erasure of victims. This is not just disappointing. It is morally unacceptable.

Worth a visit. Check out the creepy pics. Love to blue fingerd bishop and his little homunculi!

A steep entry price for €7 (NOT €3 as the LP recent guidebook says), but free for journos like me. I wasn’t very interested in the silver pieces but the religious paintings especially by Flemish artists are indeed beautiful. Photos are allowed inside. I was there about 40 minutes. Lovely view from the roof with azulejos to boot.

I've always been interested in religious art/iconography so it was intriguied by the idea of the Sacred Art Museum. It turned out to be very interesting and educational. Well worth the €5 price tag. While this museum is small compared to some of the others in Funchal, it is packed full of art and treasures. The building is a piece of history itself, originally built in the 16th century with reconstruction work done following an earthquake in 1748. The art ranges from paintings and sculptures to alters and goblets. Anyone with an interest in Portuguese and Flemish art should make a point to visit the museum.