Attractions
Arco da Boa Nova
Address: Rua Dom Diogo de Sousa 127, Braga, Portugal .The Arco da Porta Nova is located in the parish of Braga (Maximinos, Sé, and Cividade), in the city and municipality of Braga, in the district of the same name, in Portugal. It has been classified as a National Monument since 1910.
It was one of the gates in the city walls, opened in 1512, during the tenure of the Archbishop of Braga, D. Diogo de Sousa.
Its current design dates back to 1772, initiated by Archbishop D. Gaspar de Bragança, with a project by the local architect André Soares, at a historical moment when the city was breaking through the old walls and expanding.
Adjacent to it is a medieval tower, which was part of the old city walls known as the “muralha fernandina,” now almost entirely hidden by nearby buildings. The entrance is through the Museum of the Image.
Mosteiro de S. Martinho Tibães
Address: R. do Mosteiro 59, 4700-565, Mire de Tibães, Portugal .The Monastery of São Martinho de Tibães, also referred to as Monastery of Tibães or Church and Monastery of Tibães, is located in the parish of Mire de Tibães, in the municipality of Braga, in the district of the same name, in Portugal.
The complex, which includes the Church of Tibães and the Cross of Tibães, was classified as a Property of Public Interest in 1944.
Sé de Braga
Address: Braga Cathedral, R. Dom Paio Mendes, 4700-424 Braga, Portugal .The Braga Cathedral, or Sé de Braga, is located in the parish of Braga (Maximinos, Sé, and Cividade), in the city and municipality of Braga, in the district of the same name, in Portugal.
According to tradition, it serves as the seat of the bishopric founded by Saint James the Greater, who is said to have appointed his disciple, Saint Peter of Rates, as its first bishop. Due to this apostolic origin, it is considered the Sacrosanct Primate Basilica of the Iberian Peninsula, and its Archbishop holds the title of Primate of the Spains. The cathedral has its own liturgy, known as the Braga Rite.
Recognized as a center of episcopal influence and one of the most important Romanesque temples in the country, it houses the tombs of Henry of Burgundy, Count of Portucale, and his wife, Teresa of León, parents of King Afonso Henriques.
The Braga Cathedral has been classified as a National Monument since 1910.
It is one of the most visited monuments in the north of the country, having received 149,462 visitors in 2022.
Santuário do Bom Jesus do Monte
Address: Estrada do Bom Jesus, 4715-056 Tenões .The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte is a Portuguese Catholic shrine in Tenões, outside the city of Braga, in northern Portugal. Its name means Good Jesus of the Mount.
This sanctuary is a notable example of a Christian pilgrimage site with a monumental, Baroque stairway that climbs 116 meters (381 feet). It is an important tourist attraction of Braga.
On 7 July 2019, the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Santuário Sra. do Sameiro
Address: Av. Nossa Sra. do Sameiro 44, 4715-616 Braga, Portugal .The history of this sanctuary began on 14 June 1863. The founder of this sanctuary was the vicar of Braga, Father Martinho António Pereira da Silva, a native of Semelhe, who in 1869 placed an image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception at the top of the mountain. This sanctuary is one of the major Marian devotional centers in Portugal, following the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima in Cova da Iria and the Sanctuary of the Sovereign Mother in Loulé.
In this temple, completed in the 20th century, the polished white granite high altar and the silver tabernacle stand out. In front, there is an imposing and vast staircase, at the top of which stand two high pillars crowned with the image of the Virgin Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Parque Nacional Peneda-Gerês
Address: Terras de Bouro, Portugal .Peneda-Gerês National Park is recognized by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve, aimed at enabling "the conservation of soil, water, flora, fauna, and landscape".
It is one of Portugal’s major natural attractions, known for its rare and impressive scenic beauty, ecological and ethnographic value, and its variety of fauna (Iberian ibex, roe deer, Garrano horses, wolves, birds of prey) and flora (pine trees, yews, chestnut trees, oaks, and various medicinal plants). It stretches from the Gerês mountains in the south, through the Peneda mountains, up to the Spanish border.The park includes sections of the Roman road that connected Braga to Astorga, known as Geira. Within the park are two important pilgrimage centers: the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Peneda, a replica of the Bom Jesus Sanctuary in Braga, and São Bento da Porta Aberta, a place of great popular devotion.
