Bom Jesus do Monte

About this place

This pilgrimage sanctuary above Braga is famous for its monumental Baroque stairway. The ascent was designed as a religious journey through architecture and landscape. Follow the sequence of terraces and viewpoints to see how movement toward the church became part of the devotional experience. The stairway climbs roughly 116 metres, giving the approach a physical as well as symbolic dimension. Its carefully organised stages turn a steep hillside into a designed sequence. Looking back toward Braga while moving through that sequence helps reveal the connection between the sanctuary, the surrounding landscape and the city below.