Hi Lee,

The Church you visited is Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Monte (Our Lady of Monte's Curch). It's well worth a visit for its architectonic features and interior decoration.

One of the reasons it's famous for, is the fact that it houses Austrian Emperor Karl I of Habsburg's coffin.

The Highest celebration in this church takes place on the 14th and 15th August, with a very popular religious feast.

Yes, those 74 steps are really impressive. Click here:
File:Funchal Igreja do Monte.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
Some believers climb them up on their knees when they need, or to thank, divine protection and help.

You don't have to, necessarily, walk up all those steps to get to the church, there is a car acess that leads you to very close to it.

It's down there, at the end of these steps, that you find the starting point of the Wicker Basket (Toboggan) Ride.

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