PT RR - Group 57 * I wish

I used to host this RR but i "quit" and now Miguel is the men in charge. Some of the groups are still from the old RR but he already opened a few new ones. These cards are from one of the old groups, in this case a 3 wishes group. I wished churches, castles/palaces and landscapes.

© Maurício de Abreu

Ninocas sent me this card from Mértola which was one of my favorites.
The town of Mértola is located on a hill by the Guadiana river, in southeastern Portugal next to the Spanish border. Among the vestiges of its past, Mértola boasts the only mediaeval mosque to have survived in Portugal. Church of the Assumption of Mary, originally a mosque was built between the 12th and 13th centuries. After the Christian conquest of the town, in 1238, the mosque was turned into a church, but its architectonic structure was left unaltered. In the 16th century the church was partially remodelled, gaining Manueline vaulting with a new roof and a new main portal in Renaissance style. Nevertheless, the inner arrangement of the naves of the church, with four naves and several columns, strongly resembles that of the original mosque, and the interior of the church still has the mihrab, the decorated niche that indicates the direction of the Mecca. Outside, the church has four portals with horseshoe arches, typical of Islamic architecture. - in: wikipedia

© IBERPONTO, photo by Aníbal Santos

This is a card from Redondo, Joaninha's hometown. On the card there's the Calvary Church built in the 17th century; the Misericórdia Church from the 16th century; St. Peter Chapel which origin is not know but already existed in 1534 and the St. Anthony Convent built between the 17th and 18th centuries.

© Ilustral
In this RR i've only received cards from southern Portugal and this last one is from the southernmost region, Algarve, with the Ria Formosa, a laggon. This lagoon is a system of barrier islands that communicates with the sea through 6 inlets. Five of these inlets are natural and have mobility characteristics.
Ria Formosa plays an important role in the region's economy. Beyond the tourist use the system also supports other economic activities like seafood farms (including grooved carpet shell harvesting) and the port of Faro.

The Ria Formosa is also a designated Natural Park of over 170 km² and a stopping place for hundreds of different birds during the spring and autumn migratory periods. - in: wikipedia