angra dos reis is a seaside city in rio de janeiro state, located west of the capital and just east of paraty - while its best-known attraction may well be ilha grande, angra actually includes 364 other islands within its limits has quite a bit more to offer in terms of culture than its wealth of beaches and natural wonders might suggest.

as in much of south america, some of the oldest existing buildings in angra dos reis are religious in nature - among the dozens of small churches, some dating back as far as 1593, there are two monasteries in town, with impressively long names.

the older of the two is the convento de nossa senhora do carmo e capela da ordem terceira, founded at the dawn of the seventeenth century with the aim of servicing the native population - preserved as a heritage site since 1954, according to legend it is connected by a secret underground tunnel to its counterpart, the convento são bernardino de sena e capela da ordem terceira de são francisco da penitência.