Braga

The city of Braga is 50 km north of Porto and was founded by the Romans for over 2000 years under the name "Bracara Augusta". It is one of the oldest Portuguese cities and one of the oldest Christian cities in the world.
Considered as the capital of Minho, Braga is the third largest city in the country, after Lisbon and Porto. The city of Braga is known for its churches and monuments, gastronomy, crafts, traditions and festivities.

Places to visit

Arco da Porta Nova (Arch of the New Gate)

It was one of the doors in the walls of the city, torn in 1512, at the time of the Archbishop of Braga, D. Diogo de Sousa.
Its current appearance dates back to 1772, on the initiative of Archbishop D. Gaspar de Bragança, with a project by André Soares, an architect from Braga, at a historical moment in which the city broke the ancient walls and expanded.
It has been classified as a National Monument since 1910.
Next to it, it is a medieval tower in the Ferdinand Wall but practically covered by houses.

Sé de Braga

The Sé of Braga is located in the parish of Sé, right in the historical center of the city.
It is the seat of the bishopric founded, according to tradition, by St. James the Greater, who here left his first disciple, St. Peter of Rates, as the first bishop. Due to this apostolic origin it is considered as Sacred Primal Basilica of the Iberian Peninsula, and its Archbishop, Primate of the Spain. It has its own liturgy, the Bracaran liturgy.
Considered as a center of episcopal irradiation and one of the most important Roman temples in the country, here are the tombs of Henry of Burgundy, Count of Portugal and his wife, Teresa of Leon, parents of D. Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal.

Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte

The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte (also known as Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Braga) is located in the parish of Tenões, in the city, county and district of Braga, in Portugal. It is located near the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sameiro.
This Catholic sanctuary dedicated to Senhor Bom Jesus is an architectural and landscape complex composed of a church, a staircase where the Via Sacra do Bom Jesus is developed, a forest area (Bom Jesus Park), some hotels and a funicular ( Bom Jesus Lift).
It was elevated to basilica-minor on July 5, 2015.
Its peculiar disposition was the inspiration for other buildings, such as the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedies in Lamego.
On 20 July 2015, the candidacy of Bom Jesus for World Heritage of Humanity was presented to the National Commission of Unesco.
On June 1 2016, it was announced that the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus integrates the Indicative list of Portugal to the World Heritage approved by the National Commission of UNESCO. The indicative list is an indispensable prerequisite for the application of World Heritage properties.
Classified since 1970 as a Property of Public Interest, the Regional Directorate of Culture of the North presented on November 24, 2016 a proposal for the extension of the classification and eventual reclassification to National Monument.

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sameiro

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sameiro (or Sameiro Shrine or Immaculate Conception of Mount Sameiro) is a Marian sanctuary, whose cultural history began on June 14 1863.
The founder of this shrine was the vicar of Braga, Father Martinho António Pereira da Silva, a native of Semelhe, who in 1869 had placed on the mountaintop an image of Our Lady of Conception.
This sanctuary constitutes one of the centers of greatest Marian devotion in Portugal, just after the Sanctuary of Fatima and the Sanctuary of the Sovereign Mother. In this Temple, completed in the twentieth century, stands the interior of the high altar in polished white granite, as well as the silver tabernacle.
In front of the Temple stands an imposing and vast staircase, at the top of which stand two high pillars, with the image of the Virgin Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the top.

Gastronomy / Wines / Sweets

The City of Braga offers to those who visit a rich, juicy and varied gastronomy, according to the tradition of several generations, with the cod to be assumed as the favorite dish. The diversity of the natural landscape and the influences received from other populations, for centuries, are elements that explain the multiplicity of gastronomic specialties.
The art of cooking in Braga is famous not only for the variety of menus, but above all for the care and freshness in its confection.
By the influence of the religiosity of the city and assuming a continuous practice of Lent, religious periods of abstinence were made, leading to the creation of multiple ways of cooking cod.
Of the many recipes, we highlight the Bacalhau à Narcisa, better said "à Eusébia", a cook of the Narcisa restaurant, who died in 1972, today also known as Bacalhau à Braga and added value in the gastronomic spread of the whole region.
The famous green wine of the region, white or red, allows a good accompaniement, whatever the chosen dish.
It is in the sweets that the cuisine of Braga reaches a greater originality and refinement, with the Pudding Abade de Priscos, the pastry cakes and the dry biscuits to accompany the tea, as well as other rich specialties of long conventual and popular tradition.

Bracarense cooking dishes:

Bacalhau (cod) à Braga or à Narcisa; Papas de Sarrabulho; Rojões à Minhota; Cabrito Assado à Moda de Braga; Vitela (veal) Assada; Arroz (rice) “Pica no Chão”; Arroz de Pato (duck rice) à Moda de Braga; Bacalhau à Moda do Minho;  Frigideiras; - Caldo Verde c/ Broa de Milho

Confectionery

Pudim (pudding) Abade de Priscos; Fidalguinhos; Pederneiras; Paciências; Suplícos; Cavacas de Morreira; Fatias doces de Braga; Broinhas de St.º António; Sameirinhos; Charutos (cigars) de Chila; Moletinhos do dia de S. Vicente; Mexidos; Doce Branco; Talassas; Viúvas de Braga; Bolo-Rei normal e de chila; Rabanadas (french toast); Leite Creme (milk cream); Aletria (vermicelli); Viúvas (Convento dos Remédios).