Anglo-Portuguese journalist and author Isabel Stilwell, 66, has alleged that she was prevented from entering Silves Cathedral after being told her exposed shoulders and knees breached the monument's dress code.
According to a column published in the Portuguese newspaper Público, which Stilwell titled 'The burqa law comes to Silves', a member of staff at the ticket office informed her that access to the cathedral was subject to a dress code allegedly introduced by the parish priest, which bars visitors wearing clothing deemed inappropriate. Stilwell wrote, in her own words, that “when the woman at the ticket office at Silves Cathedral told me, in a triumphant tone, that I was not allowed in, I was bewildered. When she explained why, my bewilderment turned to shock, followed by a wave of indignation that has yet to subside.”
She writes that she asked the ticket office employee whether Silves had “become a Muslim taifa once again”, arguing that the cathedral's dress code represented “an offensive civilisational step backwards”, and adding that the God she believes in “welcomes everyone” and is “certainly not a pervert measuring respect in centimetres”. She also points out that, beyond being a place of worship, Silves Cathedral has been a Portuguese National Monument since 1922 and is regarded as the Algarve's most important Gothic monument. According to her account, however, the employee remained unmoved, focusing solely on the fact that her knees were visible.
The columnist opined that while some traditionalists warn of the perceived threat of Islamic influence in Europe, they are, in her view, embracing similarly restrictive attitudes towards women's dress.
While she eventually covered her shoulders with a jacket and adjusted her clothing in order to gain entry, her husband, who was wearing shorts, was allowed inside without objection.
Stilwell criticised a leaflet handed to visitors outlining separate dress guidelines for men, women, and children. The document reportedly bans exposed shoulders, shorts, skirts above the knee, and clothing considered “sensual”.
“There's one in Fátima too. People don't follow it there, but here I am!” the employee allegedly told her, before, Stilwell writes, proceeding to turn away tourists wearing shorts.
In her piece, the writer argued that the guidance goes beyond the provisions of the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding appropriate attire in places of worship. Instead, she said, common sense and respect for visitors should take precedence.
Source: PUBLICO
Photo credit: Rui Gaudêncio
