Statues & Monuments in Madeira

The islands of Madeira have a wealth of statutes and public monuments. Here are some of the most well-known and appealing.

The CR7 Statue in Funchal

CR7 Statue

The CR7 Statue in Funchal on Madeira is a bronze statue of locally-born footballer and hero Cristiano Ronaldo. It stands outside the CR7 Museum dedicated to the player near the city's marina.

The statue is the work of locally-resident artist, Ricardo Veloza. Several of Veloza's works can be seen on both Madeira and Porto Santo. Some of his well-known pieces on the islands include a statue of Cristóvão Colombo on Porto Santo and the Sleigh Riders Monument in Monte.

Standing 3.40 meters (about 11 feet tall including the pedestal), the bronze statue features Ronaldo in his classic pose before taking a free kick.

The statue now is a popular tourist attraction, especially for visitors from mainland Portugal and overseas. Attention has been drawn to the prominence of the player's "virility" an area of the body which has been rubbed clear by well-wishers. The pedestal at the bottom reads "Melhor Jogador Do Mundo" - "Best Player In The World."

The Estátua João Gonçalves Zarco in Funchal

João Gonçalves Zarco

A statue of João Gonçalves Zarco, the "discoverer" of Madeira and First Captain of the island stands on Avenida Zarco in the Zona Vehla (Old Town) of Funchal.

The monument dates from 1934. The architect Cristiano da Silva designed the stone base with its allegoric figures representing the Age of Discoveries: Conquest, Evangelization, Settlement, and Wisdom. The bronze statue on top is the work of sculptor Francisco Franco.

Statue of Cristóvão Colombo

Christopher Columbus

A statue of Cristóvão Colombo (Christopher Columbus) stands on the seafront in the Infante D. Henrique Avenue Garden near the Casa Museu Cristóvão Colombo in Vila Baleira on Porto Santo. It is also the work of Ricardo Veloza and dates from 1989. Columbus came to the island in 1478 as a sugar trader and later married Felipa Moniz Perestrelo, the governor's daughter.

Parque de Santa Catarina, Funchal

There is another statue of Christopher Columbus in the Parque de Santa Catarina in Funchal. The figure in bronze on a stone pedestal is by Portuguese sculptor Henrique Moreira. It dates from 1968. There is also another statue of Henry the Navigator in the same park.

Bust of João Fernandes Vieira

João Fernandes Vieira

A bust of João Fernandes Vieira (1610-1681) stands in the Jardim Municipal do Funchal. Vieira was one of the leaders of the fight to expel the Dutch from Pernambuco in Brazil. The bronze bust is by Portuguese sculptor Costa Motta (1877-1956). There are also statues commemorating Saint Francis of Assisi, Simon Bolívar (1783-1830) and the Russian painter Karl Briullov (1799-1852) who spent time in Madeira for his health.

The inscription reads: Libertador de Seis Naciones

Simon Bolívar

The bronze bust of Simon Bolivar in the park dates from the late 1970s and is the work of Venezuelan sculptor Arturo Rus Aguilera. It honors the Venezuelan statesman and soldier who led what are now the nations of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Venezuela to independence from the Spanish Empire.

Icarus

A large statue of Icarus stands on a roundabout on Estrada Monumental in Funchal. It is dedicated to the construction workers who lost their lives building tunnels and bridges on the island of Madeira. The full name of the statue is Monumento ao Trabalhador and it is also the work of Ricardo Velosa.

Skipping Girl by British sculptor James Butler

Skipping Girl

The statue in bronze of a skipping girl by British sculptor James Butler (1931-2022) is in the Jardim Botânico da Madeira in Monte. It dates from 1987. Butler's most famous work is probably the statue of Richard III outside Leicester Cathedral.

Bronze statue of Henry the Navigator

Henry the Navigator

Close to the bust of Christopher Columbus in Vila Baleira on Porto Santo is a statue of Henry the Navigator facing the sea. Henry was the driving force behind Portuguese expansion and the discovery of the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo. The work is a bronze replica of the statue of Prince Henry in Nantes, France. It dates from 2018 to mark the 600th anniversary of the discovery of Madeira and Porto Santo.

The statue predates the more famous Cristo Rei in Brazil by 4 years

Cristo Rei

The 15 meter-tall, art deco Cristo Rei (Christ the King; Sacred Heart) statue in Garajau, eastern Madeira dates from 1927. It was commissioned by local Caniço lawyer Aires de Ornelas de Vasconcellos and his wife D. Maria de Jesus Souza e Holstein in fulfillment of a pledge. It was on this site that the bodies of deceased non-Christians were thrown over the cliff into the sea until 1770 when the British Cemetery of Funchal was established for non-Catholics. The Jewish Cemetery of Funchal opened later in 1851. The statue is the work of French artists Georges Serraz and Pierre Charles Lenoir. There are great sunrise and sunset views over the ocean from the cliff. A cable car runs up and down from Garajau Beach. There are buses to Garajau and Caniço from Funchal.

Dr. Francisco Fulgencio Andrade

Others

Other busts, statues and monuments on Madeira include busts of Baden-Powell in Funchal and the theologian Dr. Francisco Fulgencio Andrade (1889-1970) as well as a statue of Winston Churchill.

Dr. Francisco Fulgencio Andrade was born on Madeira and worked as a teacher at the seminary in Funchal after study in Rome. He was also a broadcaster, writer and journalist for the Jornal da Madeira. The bust is on the south side of the cathedral in Rua da Sé. It is the work of sculptors Soares Branco and José Simão Castelo Branco from 1998. Also near the cathedral is a statue of Pope John Paul by António Augusto Lagoa Henriques (1995). He visited the island in 1991.

The statue of Churchill is in Câmara de Lobos outside the Pestana Churchill Bay. It is by Portuguese artist Martim Velosa. The former wartime British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill visited the town in 1950 and fell in love with its charm. He spent time painting the picturesque scenes of the surrounding area.

Baden-Powell visited Madeira in the 1930s and his small bust is a tribute near the cathedral on Rua João Tavira.

The Autonomy Monument by Ricardo Velosa celebrates Madeira becoming an autonomous region in 1976 with its own parliament and government following the Carnation Revolution of 1974.

Monumento ao Jogador de Futebol by Martim Velosa

Hotels in Funchal

If you wish to stay in Funchal try the recommended Quinta do Monte. Other recommended places to stay in the city include the Hotel Quinta Bela S.Tiago or the budget Pensao Residencial Mirasol.