Monuments

One of the most visited sites of Marian worship.

Sitting atop a hill of the same name, at 566 metres of altitude, the Shrine of Our Lady of Sameiro is one of the most visited places of Marian worship in Portugal, providing a privileged view over the city of Braga. Every year attracting many devotees, especially during the pilgrimages of the first Sunday of June and the third Sunday of August.

Its founding was thanks to Martinho Silva, presbyter of the archdiocese of Braga, who drove the Marian cult in the region from the sixties of the 19th century. Built over several decades, the religious complex comprises, among other elements, a venue for church mass, the Casa das Estampas, the Rector’s House, the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, the main church, the crypt and a wide monumental staircase, at the top of which are the monuments of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of Our Lady of the Conception.

In the main altar admire the silver tabernacle and the image of the patron saint, made in Rome by the sculptor Eugénio Maccagnani and brought to the Shrine in 1880. Throughout the 20th century the sanctuary has been enriched with works of art that bear witness to different aesthetic and religious viewpoints: in the crypt there is a set of tile panels designed by Cherub Lapa; in the presbytery a large panel authored  by Oscar Casares was painted between 2005 and 2006; and, more recently, Clara Meneres was responsible for the four great sculptures of the archangels St. Michael, St. Raphael and St. Gabriel, along with the Guardian Angel of the Homeland.

On December 8, 2004, Pope John Paul II granted the shrine the Golden Rose, a distinction attributed by the pontiffs to personalities, sanctuaries, churches or cities in recognition of relevant services rendered to the Church or for the good of society.