"Lord of the Stone" Chapel.

Nikon D80, Manfrotto Tripod, IS0 250, f 13, 1/5 sec. December 2008.

"Lord of the Stone" or "Senhor da Pedra" in Portuguese, is a small rococo style chapel from the X VII century located by the Atlantic ocean in Madalena, Portugal.

The cult of Christ the Lord of the Stone may have originated as a ancient pre-Christian pagan worship of the Lord of the Sea.



In the back of the chapel appears a strange marking on the rock in the shape of horseshoe. The legend says that the mark was left or by the donkey that transported a Virgin Mary or by the horse of D. Sebastião I, one of the Portuguese kings.

Nikon 80, ISO 100, HDR post-processing. November 2006.

The Chapel is an "icon" for photographers in Northern Portugal. Winter is an exceptionally good time to take pictures there: it´s cold what makes the air more transparent and clear, we have normally some clouds in the sky and the chapel is partially surrounded by water. Avoid times with strong winds - the moisture from the sea can damage your photos.

Maciek.