Lagos has a fascinating history. Founded by the Carthagians in around 400 BC, the town’s deep harbour and wide bay have always made it attractive to settlers. Lagos flourished under the Moors, who turned it into a major trade centre between Portugal and Africa. It also came to play a pivotal role in Portugal’s Age of Discovery. It was from Lagos that Vasco da Gama set sail on his epic voyage of 1499. Both trade and exploration continued to expand under Prince Henry the Navigator, who adopted Lagos as his base. Lagos later became the capital of Algarve, a title it lost after the widespread destruction it suffered at the hands of the 1755 earthquake. Today it is one of Europe’s up-and-coming tourist hotspots.

Lagos 1174
The town was occupied in the sixth century by the Visigoths from the Kingdom of Toledo and later by the Byzantines. The Moors came in the eight century. They renamed the town  Zawaia (meaning Lago = lake). It was part of the coastal region al-Gharb (hence the name Algarve). The Moors fortified the town and established important trade links. In 1174 the local Wali gave permission for the construction of a church of St. John the Baptist outside the town walls. This is the oldest church in the Algarve. Even as King Afonso Henriques was reconquering Portugal (the Reconquista), the southern part (Algarve and Alentejo) remained under Moorish domination. It was captured by King Afonso III of Portugal in 1241.

Lagos 1241
In 1241 Lagos was captured by King Afonso III of Portugal, After the complete capture of Algarve in 1249 the king gave himself the title "King of Portugal and Algarve", stressing the fact that the Algarve, after the long rule by the Moors, was considered a foreign country and not part of Portugal.

Lagos 1361
Lagos became an independent jurisdiction under the rule of King Pedro I in 1361. King João I assembled his fleet in the harbour of Lagos, before setting sail for the siege and conquest of the city of Ceuta in 1415. This was the first step in opening the Arabian world to medieval Europe, which in fact led to the Age of Discovery with Portuguese explorers sailing across the whole world.

Lagos 1400(s) “The Age Of Discovery”.
Thus Lagos became important during the 15th century period of Portuguese exploration. Prince Henry the Navigator, third son of King João I, lived most of the time in Lagos. From here he directed expeditions to Morocco and to the western coast of Africa with caravels, lateen-rigged ships with excellent seafaring capabilities. Lagos was also the home port for Gil Eanes who was the first to sail beyond Cape Bojador in 1434, then considered the end of the world. This was a breakthrough in the Portuguese exploration of Africa. Lagos was at least as important during the Age of Discovery as Cape Canaveral was during the early years of space exploration. Nigeria's former capital, Lagos, was named after the Portuguese location.

Lagos 1500(s)
It was also in Lagos during this time that the first slaves were brought to Europe. There is a 17th century building standing on the exact site where the first slave markets were held in the 15th century. As the major sponsor of these expeditions, Prince Henry received one fifth of the selling price of the slaves. After his death the town began to slumber as the Royal family lost interest in the Algarve. All major  trading houses then took up residence in Lisbon.

Lagos 1578
King Sebastião, obsessed with his plans for a great crusade against the kingdom of Fez, assembled a huge fleet in Lagos in 1578. During this ill-fated attempt he and most of Portugal's nobility were killed in the Battle of Alcácer Quibir in Morocco. The old Portuguese town was a very beautiful city with many monuments until it was destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami of 1755. But it still preserves some (rebuilt) walls from the 16th century, a governor's castle (17th century) and (the site of) an ancient slave market which is believed to be the first black slave market (Mercado de Escravos) in Europe (opened in 1444).Two well-known naval battles took place off Lagos, reflecting its strategic location: In the Battle of Lagos (1693) a French force defeated a combined Anglo-Dutch one, in the Battle of Lagos (1759) a British force defeated a French one. The Romans gave the name of “Lacobriga” to the town but its natural river port would indicate very much earlier occupation. The Moors then gave the town the name of "Zawaia" It was captured from the Moors in 1189 but it was not until 1249 that it was finally conquered by Dom Afonso III and integrated into the kingdom of Portugal with the name of "Lagus". This historic town has played an important part in the story of discovery of many parts of the world. It was from the harbour that Vasco da Gama sailed in 1499 on his historic and epic voyage of discovery. Lagos was the capital of the Algarve from 1578 until 1756 and there remain several ancient buildings to testify to its historic glory. From its Port maritime expeditions were embarked upon to discover the world at the orders of Prince Henry the Navigator. Also, the Armada of 800 vessels led by the ill-fated heir to the throne Dom Sebastião embarked from Lagos in 1578 to capture the town of Ceuta in Morocco. It is written that the very first time the famous explorer Columbus from Genoa set foot in the Iberian Peninsular, was when the inhabitants of Lagos saved him and other sailors from the shipwreck of a vessel in which he was sailing. Another interesting fact is that Francis Drake in 1587 failed in his attempt to raid Lagos and then sailed on to Sagres to sack the occasional historic home of Henry the Navigator".

Forte da Ponta da Bandeira (Old Lagos Sea Side Fort).

	When Portugal came under Spanish rule, the Portuguese coast became a target for the British fleet. Lagos, close to the Spanish naval base of Cadiz, was attacked by Sir Francis Drake. But the inhabitants put up such a good defence, that he had to abort his attack on Lagos. Instead he sacked the nearby fort of Sagres. Furthermore the coast was under regular attack of pirates and corsairs. This led to construction of a string of forts along the coast. One of them was the 17th century fort of Ponta da Bandeira in Lagos.
This squat fort guards the entrance to the harbour. One enters the fort via a small drawbridge. The terrace offers a splendid view on the town, the beach and the harbour. The small chapel is decorated with 17th century azulejos. Several rooms have been converted into exhibition displays of the voyages of discovery with astrolabes and models of caravels.

 Museu regional

	This modest regional museum is located next to the church of St. Anthony. It houses an eclectic collection of archaeological finds from the prehistory (ammonites, dinosaur teeth...) and the Neolithic (axeheads, pottery shards...). The mishmash continues with an assembly of minerals, Roman mosaics and Moorish oillamps and pottery. The ethnographic section deals with scenes from the past in the Algarve and, interestingly, very old weapons and artefacts from Mozambique. There is also an assorted display of old European weapons such as swords, muskets and cannonballs.
One can also see the charter by which King Manuel conferred some priovileges to Lagos. Probably the most valuable items are the sacerdotal vestments worn during the last H. Mass attended by King Sebastião, before leaving on his ill-fated conquest of Morocco. There is also a diptych dating from the 16th century with scenes from the Annunciation and Presentation of Jesus at the Temple.

greja de Santo António

	Its plain façade with the dissimilar bell towers, dating from 1715, contrasts sharply with the extravaganza of the beautiful and richly decorated interior. Its blue-and-white azulejos (18th century) and gilded, intricate wooden carvings (talha dourada) (among the most beautiful in the country) fill every inch of the walls of the nave, together with the six Baroque paintings by Mestre José Joaquim Rasquinho, representing the miracles of St. Anthony. The wooden vault was painted with a trompe-l'oeil effect, leading one to believe it is much higher. The polychrome statues of cherubs playing with animals and fishes are a delight to the eye.
This church of St. Anthony of Lisbon was one of the few building to survive quasi-intact the Great Earthquake of 1755. There was some reconstruction by the commander of Lagos Infantry Regiment. That is probably why the polychrome statue of St. Anthony on the altar wears a military sash. It was also in this church that King Sebastião reputedly attended his last mass before his ill-fated expedition to Morocco.