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As the menhirs attest, it was already sacred ground back in the Neolithic period. The area name recalls the Promontorium Sacrum (or Holy Promontory) of the Romans. The Ancient Greeks called it Ophiussa (Land of Serpents), inhabited by the Oestriminis. The early Christians followed that tradition and dedicated this last part of the known world to St. Vincent, giving name also to the neighbouring coast (Costa Vicentina). According to legend, the relics of the martyr Saint Vincent were carried from the Holy Land to the cape by ravens.
The impressive lighthouse provides a guiding beam to ships passing and is open for visits. Despite being one of the busiest waterways in the world, ships have to respect the security distance, and therefore can barely be seen on the horizon.
On the surrounding cliffs, which are beaten by the strength of the vast Atlantic, local fishermen risk their lives perched on the cliff edges above the thundering sea. Every year, several fishermen and tourists fall to their deaths here. |
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| Cape St.Vincent |
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| Cape St.Vincent near Sagres in Portugal together with the nearby Ponta de Sagres form Europe's most southwestern tip. The cape is a steep cliff, 69 m high, largely bereft of vegetation. |
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