Monuments

The first cathedral, older than Portugal.

The Cathedral of Braga was the first Portuguese cathedral, erected several decades before the founding of the country. It began to be built at the end of the 11th century, and was concecrated and dedicated to the Virgin Mary by Bishop Pedro in a solemn session on August 28, 1089. Competing in power with the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and is the jewel of the city. D. Henrique and D. Teresa, parents of the first king of Portugal, are buried in the Chapel of Kings.

Also called the Santa Maria de Braga Cathedral, artistic relics, of its more than nine centuries of history, are preserved within. The Porta do Sol door, the floor-plan with an ambulatory, the main portico and the apse of the cloister of Santo Amaro all preserve the original Romanesque style. The architects were the prelates of the Monasteries of Cluny (France), Saint Gerard and Brudino. Built in the 15th century, the construction of the entrance porch to the temple was done in a Gothic style. Inside, we find a wooden Gothic-Flemish style tomb belonging to the Infante D. Afonso, son of King João I and of D. Filipa de Lencastre. 

In the following century, during the reign of D. Manuel, other decorative elements were introduced, of which the Baptismal Font stands out and, outside the main chapel, a niche with the statue of Our Lady of the Milk, attributed to Nicolau Chanterenne, and which integrates the city's coat of arms. The baroque style was also used, above all in the interior decoration of the altars, in the works of gilded woodwork, the Upper Choir stand, and in the monumental organs of the main chapel, as well as in the two intriguing bell towers that distinguish the exterior façade.

To complete the visit, do not miss the Cathedral’s Treasure Museum, where you will see the cross of the first mass celebrated in Brazil, led by Pedro Álvares Cabral.