On the Hill of Santa Maria, encircled by the castle walls, the Christian conquerors of the Order of St. James of the Sword consolidated their civil, military and religious presence. Here, the first churches were built, some of them reusing the remains of the earlier Arab mosques. This is probably the case of the Main Church of Santa Maria, built on the orders of the Order of St. James of the Sword and the most important building in the mediaeval city. In the years to follow, noblemen, clergy and rich bourgeois sought to safeguard their memory for posterity by founding chapels with masses and paying for generous amounts of religious architecture. In this context, the Gothic style – recognised in architecture by the widespread use of pointed arches and ribs in the vaults – marked the constructions in the town during the Late Middle Ages (thirteen to fifteenth centuries). However, its history today consists of fragments, i.e. some vestiges that have survived the passing of time, natural disasters, changing tastes and the transformations of the city’s built landscape. The last phase of the Gothic in Portugal is known as the Manueline period. The style was at its height during the reign of King D. Manuel I (1495-1521) and this was probably due in part to the monarch’s interest in dignifying the kingdom with constructions that were worthy of the glory achieved by the Portuguese expansion throughout the world. The primary trait for which the Manueline style became known was architectural decoration. The exuberant and eclectic embellishment could be seen on porticos or interior pillars, while complex webs of ribbing appeared on the vaults. The Gothic pointed arches were replaced by multifoiled, horseshoe and ogee arches, in various combinations, affirming the taste for extensive decoration, for the exotic and for the fabulous. At this time, Tavira, which was granted its city charter in 1520, was the most prosperous urban centre in the Algarve. It benefited from its strategic position in the context of Portuguese expansion and provided support for the defence and maintenance of the North African conquests. The Manueline left marks here and this was certainly due in part to the influence of the many important artists who passed through on their way to the sites in Morocco where they developed their artistic work in the service of the Crown.