Page 276 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Portugal

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BOM JESUS 577

DO MONTE The number of steps
on the Escadaria.
EXPERIENCE Minho to the top § 253 676 636 # Daily
! E1 ⌂ 5 km (3 miles) E of Braga @ From Braga  Funicular
On a forested slope east of Braga stands Portugal’s most
spectacular religious sanctuary. Ascend the zig-zagging staircases,
passing tiny chapels on the way, to the church of Bom Jesus.

In 1722, the archbishop of Braga devised the
giant Baroque Escadaria (stairway) of Bom
Jesus as the approach to a small existing The exterior
of Bom Jesus,
15th-century shrine. The stairway and the with its two
church of Bom Jesus were completed by Carlos
Amarante in 1811. The lower section features bell towers,
a steep Sacred Way with chapels showing the at the top
of the
14 Stations of the Cross, the scenes leading up Escadaria
to Christ’s crucifixion. The Escadório dos Cinco
Sentidos, in the middle section, depicts the
five senses with ingenious wall fountains and
statues of biblical, mythological and symbolic
figures. This is followed by the similarly
allegorical Staircase of the Three Virtues.
At the summit, an esplanade provides
superb views and access to the church. Close Chapel of the
by are several hotels, a café and a boating lake Road to Calvary
hidden among the trees. Both a pilgrimage
site and tourist attraction, the sanctuary
attracts large festive crowds at weekends.
Chapel of the
Flagellation

Chapel of the
Kiss of Judas

Funicular

The hydraulically operated funicular,
which dates back to 1882, on the Chapel of Christ's Chapel of the
ascent to the church Agony in the Garden Last Supper
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