The History of Braga, Portugal & 16 Must-See Historic Sites

Braga holds 2,000 years worth of history, which makes it the oldest Portuguese city and one of the oldest Christian cities in the world. It was founded by the Romans in 16 BCE as Bracara Augusta, a tribute to Emperor Augustus. This city’s impressive past is visible in its monuments and churches, and Braga Cathedral emerges as the most imposing of the lot, presenting architectural styles ranging from Romanesque to Baroque.

Today, Braga is a cosmopolitan city with the youngest population in Portugal. The people here coexist with the oldest and most significant monuments in the country.

Around Braga, several artifacts were found proving human occupation in this region goes back thousands of years. One of the most famous findings is the Mamoa de Lamas, a megalithic monument from the Neolithic Period. There are also traces of several settlements in Braga from the Bronze Age, including pits and ceramics found in Alto da Cividade as well as a Necropolis near the Granjinhos area.

In the Iron Age, people here built “castros,” settlements on high ground. The Celts were some of the people to live here, including the Bracari, a Galician people.

In the 2nd century BCE, the Romans expanded their empire to the west. When they finally conquered the Iberian Northwest, Emperor Augustus founded a new city: Bracara Augusta, present-day Braga. The name was chosen as a tribute to the alliance between Augustus and the local Bracari.

Braca Augusta was thoroughly planned according to a classical orthogonal design. All the streets were oriented northwest/southeast and were perfectly aligned, with intersections at right angles. Both the urban area and the countryside were divided into small rectangles.

From 68 to 192 CE, Bracara Augusta grew into a prosperous city. Everywhere, new buildings such as the theater, public baths, and temples appeared. All to accommodate a population of 285,000 people.

However, a series of unfortunate events, known as the 3rd Century Crisis, caused Bracara Augusta’s growth to slow down, with the end of mining explorations and gold extraction. After the neighboring city Tarragona was attacked and sacked by the Franks during the reign of Gallienus, Bracara Augusta decided it was time to build some new defenses.

The city built an imposing wall around its perimeter with 6-meter-wide walls (about 20 feet), battlements, and towers covering more than 48 hectares to prevent an invasion. Finding the stone for such an infrastructure was not easy. That is why the Romans demolished houses and monuments, such as the theater, and used its construction materials to build the new city wall.

Between 284 and 289 CE, Emperor Diocletian promoted Bracara Augusta to the capital of Gallaecia, a newly-found Roman province that included Conventus Bracarensis, Conventus Lucensis, Conventus Asturicensis. This decision helped the city to expand. Besides raising new buildings, the old ones were repurposed or refurbished, and roads were upgraded. As a result, commercial trade boomed to such a point that the poet Decimius Magnus Ausonius described Braca Augusta as a prosperous city.

After several battles against the Romans, the Suevi, a Germanic people who invaded the Iberian Peninsula with the Vandals and Alans in 409, reached Bracara Augusta in 411. The following battles against other Germanic people lead the Suevi to establish the Suevi Kingdom, one of the first to break away from the Roman Empire.

In the same year, the Barbarians in the Iberian Peninsula divided the territory into lots between them. After this agreement, the Silingian Vandals settled in Hispania Betica, the Alans in Lusitania and Hispania Carthaginian, and the Suevi shared Galicia in the northwest of the peninsula. Shortly after, Bracara Augusta became Gallaecia’s capital, and the Suevi Kingdom expanded south towards Astorga and the Minho River Valley.

In 416, the Visigoths arrived in the Iberian Peninsula to fight the other barbarians. By the end of 418, the Visigoths had slayed the Vandals and the Alans, leaving only the Suevi.

In 419, a conflict broke out between the Vandals and the Suevi. The two armies clashed in the Battle of the Nervasos Mountains. However, the intervention of the Roman troops forced the Vandals to flee south towards present-day Spanish Andalusia, leaving all of Gallaecia to the Suevi. Between 439 and 448, Suevi King Rechila expanded the kingdom by conquering Lusitania, Hispania Baetica, and Hispania Carthaginensis.

With Rechila’s death, his son Rechiar rose to the throne. He was one of the first Christian kings among the Germanic people and the first to mint a coin in Braca Augusta with his name. Historians believe his coinage is a clear sign of the Suevi Kingdom’s autonomy. In the last days of the Roman Empire, minting coins was considered a declaration of independence.

In an attempt to follow in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps, Rechiar also tried to conquer new territories. However, in 456, the Goths defeated the Suevi in battle leaving several dead and capturing some soldiers. Among the few who managed to escape was King Rechiar.

While hunting for the king, the Goths conquered and pillaged Bracara Augusta. At the time, many Roman prisoners were taken, and churches were desecrated. However, according to bishop Idacius, Bracara fell without any bloodshed or rape.

After capturing Rechiar in Porto, where he was executed in December 456, the Visigoths headed for Lusitania and left Bracara in the hands of marauders. Since Rechiar never had any children, in the years that followed, there was a succession crisis, a civil war, and several conflicts with the Visigoths.

Over time, the Suevi lost their power as an independent kingdom, assuming a position of vassalage before the Visigoths. With a divided kingdom, Porto and Lugo grew as new capitals as Bracara lost its influence.

However, King Ariamir’s order to hold the First Council of Braga helped end this decline. The Council took place between 561 and 563 and was attended by several bishops, including Bracara’s bishop Lucretius and St. Martin, bishop of Dume. Later, in 572, the Second Council of Braga was held. It was headed by St. Martin, bishop of both Dume and Braga, which was once again the kingdom’s capital.

These councils resulted in considerable reforms, especially in the ecclesiastical and linguistic world. Among them were the creation of Braga’s local rituals and the abolition of pagan linguistic elements such as days of the week. That is why, in Portugal, we say “Segunda-feira” (Monday), instead of the Latin word “Lunae dies” from which the Spanish word Lunes derives.

Even though Braga flourished with the Councils being held here, in 585, the Suevi kingdom ended as the Visigoths took over. As a result, Bracara becomes an ecclesiastical capital instead of a state capital.

Although the city lost its influence, there was a certain level of prosperity. Some of its monuments were transformed, but the reconstruction used low-quality materials when compared to the old Roman buildings. However, religious buildings such as the Basilica of Dume and São Frutuoso Chapel used expensive materials such as marble and limestone.

In 711, the Iberian Peninsula faced a new threat. The Moors, led by General Tariq, entered Iberia through Gibraltar and took advantage of several internal divisions among the Visigoths. Some historians believe a small group of unsatisfied Visigoths helped the Moors cross the Strait of Gibraltar.

In just six years, the Moors conquered the Suevi and Visigoth Kingdoms and reached Braga in 717, which they renamed Saquiate. As a result, Braga’s diocese seat was transferred to Lugo, the Archbishop of Lugo became Braga’s exiled leader until 1070, and the Christian resistance retreated to a small mountainous area in Asturias. But less than 40 years later, Braga was once again a Christian territory.

In the 11th century, Braga was reborn. After King Ferdinand I of León conquered Coimbra, Braga was restored to the episcopal see with the appointment of Bishop Pedro de Braga, on May 1, 1070. The Cathedral was rebuilt on the remains of an ancient Paleo-Christian Basilica, and various Roman materials were reused in its restoration.

The medieval city developed around the fortified Cathedral, occupying only the northwest quarter of ancient Bracara up to the Roman northern wall. The rest of the city was gradually destroyed and turned into fields and vegetable gardens. A surrounding wall was built around the medieval city before the 13th century.

With Braga’s rehabilitation and the archbishopric, the city regained enormous importance in Iberia. Archbishop Diego Gelmírez of Santiago de Compostela, afraid of the rise of Braga’s cathedral, stole the relics of Braga’s saints, including the body of St. Frutuoso, in an attempt to diminish the city’s religious importance.

When the Condado Portucalense (a small county that expanded to create present-day Portugal) was founded, King Afonso VI of Leon and Castille granted Braga as a wedding dowry to his daughter D. Teresa and her husband, Henry of Burgundy. The newlyweds ruled the city until 1112 when D. Teresa handed Braga to the Archbishops.

Their son, Afonso Henriques, who later became Portugal’s first king, renewed her mother’s donation when Portugal was officially recognized as an independent kingdom. As a result, Braga was handed over to the Church, transforming it into the archbishop’s personal fiefdom. This small but significant detail offered Braga its independence. However, since the city belonged to the Primatial See, people have always questioned if Braga was under royal correction. These doubts remained unresolved until 1910.

In the 13th century, King Dinis refurbished the city walls and built the keep. Later, nine square towers were also added to the existing walls, and Braga Castle was completed around the keep.

In the 14th century, King João I established taxes throughout the kingdom to cover expenses from the war against Castile. With the tax money, King João I requalified the city wall. Over the following centuries, the city wall suffered several modifications, such as opening seven new gates. King João I was also responsible for building the first Jewish quarter in Braga.

Between the 16th and 18th centuries, several archbishops demanded the demolition of medieval buildings, which they replaced with the religious architecture of the time.

From 1505 to 1532, Braga’s Archbishop Diogo de Sousa drastically changed the city plan. He introduced new streets, squares, and buildings, some of which still stand. Throughout the 16th century, many of Braga’s archbishops ordered the construction of new churches, houses, and monasteries. During this period, Braga’s first female convent was founded.

Igreja da Paróquia de São Vitor, Igreja de São Vicente, Capela de São Sebastião, and Basílica dos Congregados are only a few examples of new constructions or building refurbishments made during this period.

In the 18th century, Braga transformed into Portugal’s Baroque capital. As a result, several religious buildings were refurbished or built anew to include Baroque and Neoclassical elements. The city’s most famous example is Santuário do Bom Jesus do Monte, which started being built in 1722.

During the same period, Braga’s Alpendres also expanded. These primary arches beside the city castle were a commercial and social hub, connecting the city to the surrounding countryside. Eventually, the Alpendres transformed to become the present-day Arcada. As a result, this area became a privileged location for merchants, where they built their homes and businesses. On the other hand, noble and wealthy families moved into large countryside properties around Braga. The Palácio dos Biscainhos and Palácio do Raio are a couple of examples of these wealthy houses.

The 19th century deeply marked Braga’s history. This incredible city endured the Napoleonic Troops when they invaded Northern Portugal as well as a civil war.

After all these conflicts, in 1834, the extinction of religious orders was declared. Convents, monasteries, and every other religious building became public property. However, this decision caused enormous shockwaves throughout Portugal, including in its overseas colonies. Several religious orders were also expelled, and all their assets became Braga’s property.

Braga changed during the second half of the 19th century and throughout the 20th century. The city’s industrialization helped its growth. As a result, new buildings and infrastructure were built to meet the population’s needs. Some of the first improvements included the new train line and station, the theater, and the tram.

On May 28, 1926, General Gomes da Costa started the May 28th Revolution. On this day, he marched from Braga to Lisbon and ended up abolishing the First Republic. He eventually helped implement the dictatorial government, which led to the Estado Novo dictatorial regime.

In 1973, Minho University was founded in Braga. Today, this is one of the best-ranked universities in Portugal and Europe. Over the years, the university attracted young people to Braga, making it the city with the youngest population in the country.

Nowadays, Braga is a cosmopolitan city, famous for its religion and it is becoming increasingly popular as a technological and scientific hub.

Historic Sites to Visit in Braga

Braga is the perfect location if you enjoy admiring religious architecture and historical buildings. These are the landmarks you must visit.

In 1977, archeological excavations at Cividade, one of Braga’s parishes, uncovered the ruins of public baths next to Bracara Augustas’s Roman Forum.

The Roman Baths of Alto da Cividade were once a place for socializing and relaxation. This was where the Romans took care of their bodies by enjoying different hot and cold rooms.

You can visit Alto da Cividade Roman Baths any day of the week. However, you should know times may vary on the weekends. To clearly understand the ruins, Braga City Council suggests you see the video available on site explaining how the Roman Baths once worked.

At a short distance, archeologists also found the remains of a Roman theater. Unfortunately, it is not possible to visit since excavations in the area are still ongoing.

2. Fountain of the Idol

This fountain was built in the 1st century under Roman rule. It is one of the few Roman monuments to survive to this day, almost intact.

The Romans were generally tolerant regarding religious matters and often allowed native people to worship other gods besides the Roman pantheon. The Fonte to Ídolo is a sanctuary dedicated to Tongoenabiago, the local god of water. The fountain still has inscriptions and figures carved into the granite. Next to the fountain, archeologists found several architectural remains that suggest it was part of a temple.

3. Braga Cathedral

Sé de Braga is the oldest cathedral in Portugal. Historians believe this church was built over the foundations of an ancient market or Roman temple dedicated to Isis, and its walls belong to a Paleo-Christian Basilica. Yet, the building you see today was built during the 11th century and was consecrated in 1089, decades before the foundation of the Portuguese Kingdom.

For years, this Romanesque cathedral rivaled the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, due to its magnificence and the city’s influence. At Sé de Braga, you will find four different chapels. The most famous is the Chapel of the Kings, where the parents of King Afonso Henriques, and Count Henry of Burgundy and his wife Teresa, are buried.

Throughout its 900-year-old history, Sé de Braga was refurbished several times. As a result, you can admire the initial Romanesque Style on the Porta do Sol, Gothic architecture on a wooden tomb belonging to Prince Afonso, King João I, and Filipa de Lencastre’s son, and the Manueline baptismal font. The Baroque gilded wood altars are another feature you will certainly admire.

Between Praça do Castelo and Praça da República is Torre de Menagem, a keep that is the last remains of Braga’s Castle. The granite keep is 30 meters (98 feet) high, one of five towers that acted as lookout points on the medieval walls.

In the 14th century, King Dinis rebuilt Portugal’s defenses. That is why you can find his coat-of-arms on the northeast façade. However, in Braga, the work was only finished in 1373 by King Fernando.

The medieval enclosure consisted of five towers and eight gates. Today, you can still visit the gates of Arco da Porta Nova, the Santiago Gate and Tower, and São Sebastião Tower. The actual castle was demolished in 1905. Today, Torre de Menagem is classified as a National Monument and is used as an art gallery.

5. Monastery of Tibães

Six kilometers (3.7 miles) away from Braga city center is the impressive Benedictine Tibães Monastery, built in the 6th century over an ancient Roman villa named Tevilanis. It was rebuilt in 1078. In 1567, it became the main house of the Order of St. Benedict in Portugal and Brazil.

The monastery as you see it today, was built in the 17th century. At the time, this was one of the largest buildings in Portugal. Inside, you will find four cloisters and several Baroque decorative elements, including gilded wood altarpieces, a Baroque organ from 1786, and tile panels. In the surrounding woodland, you can also visit São Bento Chapel.

6. Church of Santa Cruz

Igreja de Santa Cruz was built in 1625 under the orders of Archbishop Afonso Furtado de Mendonça, who blessed the site right before construction works began. It was finished in 1694.

Soon after its completion, the building showed signs of collapse, so, in 1731, Master Manuel Fernandes da Silva, who was in charge of building Mafra Convent, was invited to repair the damages. However, he abandoned the project after demolishing a part of the walls. In 1734, the church was demolished, and only the façade was left. Five years later, the church was rebuilt.

Due to the reconstruction works at Igreja de Santa Cruz in different periods, inside you can find several Baroque and Mannerist features. While visiting the church, take some time to admire the stone-carved vaults, the organ, the pulpits, and the gilded wood carvings from the 18th century.

Largo do Paço is one of the oldest squares in Braga’s historic city center. The square is surrounded by the Paço Episcopal Bracarense. The surrounding buildings exist thanks to Archbishops Manuel de Sousa, Agostinho de Jesus, and Rodrigo de Moura Teles.

The west wing was built by archbishop Agostinho de Jesus between the 16th and 17th centuries. The east wing holds two different buildings: one belonging to archbishop D. Rodrigo de Moura Teles, which was the Guard House, and another that was built under the orders of archbishop Manuel de Sousa in the 16th century. This last building worked as the ecclesiastical archives and courthouse. In the north wing, you can admire another building ordered by archbishop D. Rodrigo de Moura Teles.

Today, these buildings house Minho University’s rectory, including the São Nobre, where the most important ceremonies are held. At the square’s center is a water fountain from 1723, one of the city’s symbols.

8. Santa Bárbara Gardens

Jardim de Santa Bárbara is a one-of-a-kind public garden in Braga city center. Built in the late Middle Ages, between the 14th and 15th centuries, this garden is part of Paço Episcopal Bracarense.

What makes this garden unique are its medieval ogival arches and the Royal Palace façade which contrast nicely with the well-preserved and colorful garden. It feels like an oasis in Braga’s city center.

At Jardim de Santa Bárbara, you can also admire a 17th-century water fountain, which originally belonged to the old Convento dos Remédios. At the top is a statue of Santa Bárbara.

Basilica dos Congregados is a religious building from the 18th century. Although construction began in 1703, the towers and statues on the façade were only finished in 1964. Together with the Convent and Church, the Basílica dos Congregados is a unique example of Baroque architecture in Portugal.

The Basilica’s main façade faces north and is highlighted by two bell towers crowned with corbels. Inside is a triumphal arch flanked by four shell niches with sculptures of Abraham and David on the Gospel side and Isaac and Jacob on the Epistle side.

You can also admire the four side chapels with gilded and polychrome carved altarpieces. The raised main chapel holds unique stuccoes and a painted barrel-vaulted ceiling.

10. Arch of the New Gate

Arco da Porta Nova was once one of the gates in the medieval wall, built by King Dinis and rebuilt by King Fernando in 1373. It was later rebuilt by bishop D. Diogo de Sousa in 1512. However, the gate as you see it today is an 18th-century Baroque design, as requested by archbishop José de Bragança. At the top, you can see a female figure representing Braga.

11. Terceiros Church

Igreja dos Terceiros, or the Church of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis, was built in 1690 thanks to the donations made by the faithful. Its façade reveals some elements of Baroque architecture. Here, you can see a broken pediment topped by a cross and the coat of arms of St. Francis. At the center is an image of Our Lady of Conception. Inside you can admire a stone vaulted ceiling, gilded wood altars, and walls covered in tile panels designed by Nicolau de Freitas.

This church was classified as a Property of Public Interest in 2012. As a result, five years later, the church underwent conservation and restoration work.

Archbishop Frei Agostinho de Jesus ordered the construction of this square in the 16th century at the Paço Episcopal Bracarense.

Originally, this was the Archbishop’s Square. However, it was later renamed the Campo dos Touros (literally the “Field of the Bulls”) due to the bullfights held here during religious festivities or when a new king rose to the throne.

In 1751, Archbishop José de Bragança ordered the construction of a new wing at Paço Episcopal de Braça. Two years later, the City Council building was added. As a result, the square was renamed. Since then, it has been called Praça do Município.

13. Raio Palace

Palácio do Raio, also known as Casa do Mexicano, is an 18th-century Baroque residential palace in Braga city center. It was built in 1755 by José Duarte de Faria, a knight from the Order of Christ and a powerful merchant. Palácio do Raio is one of the most remarkable civil buildings in Braga.

In 1853, the palace was sold to Miguel José Raio, Viscount of São Lázaro, and it has since been known as the “Raio Palace.” The Viscount, born in Braga, made his fortune in Brazil. In 1863, he opened the street in front of the palace to allow a better view of his house and to build two houses for his daughters.

On his death in 1882, due to economic difficulties, his heirs handed the palace over to Banco do Minho on December 28, 1882, which in turn resold it on October 1, 1883, to the Santa Casa de Misericórdia, which set up some of the services of the São Marcos Hospital there. It returned to the possession of the Misericórdia de Braga in 1912, which carried out extensive restoration work.

The façade décor stands out with a richly carved central door and eleven windows divided between the two floors. The blue tile panels and the colored glass door that separates the atrium from the stairwell were installed in the 19th century.

In 2015, Palácio do Raio was restored, and today it houses the Interpretive Center for the Memories of Misericórdia de Braga. The purpose is to show visitors the support given to people in need throughout the institution’s history.

14. Arcade of Lapa

Between the 16th and 17th centuries, Archbishop Frei Agostinho de Jesus ordered the construction of the Customs House, next to Braga’s Castle, to accommodate merchants and supervise the weighing of merchandise. The so-called “Alpendres” was a commercial and social hub that connected the countryside to the city.

In the 18th century, archbishop Rodrigo de Moura Teles expanded the Alpendres and built a new version with 14 Neoclassical arches. The arches you see today are a 20th-century reconstruction with eight arches on each side and three at the center, making a total of 19 arches.

15. Santuário de Nossa Senhora do Sameiro

Located 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) from Braga city center, at 566 meters (1,857 feet) of altitude, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sameiro is one of the most visited places of Marian worship in Portugal, next to the Fátima Sanctuary and the Mãe Sobreana Sanctuary in Loulé.

Priest Martinho Silva promoted the Marian cult in this location by placing an image of Our Lady of the Conception on the top of the mountain in 1863. The religious complex was built over several decades and includes the Rector’s House, the main church, and the wide monumental staircase, at the top of which are the monuments to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Our Lady of the Conception.

At the main altar, you can admire the silver tabernacle and the patron saint’s image, made in Rome by sculptor Eugénio Maccagnani and brought here in 1880. Throughout the 20th century, the shrine has been enriched with works of art showing different aesthetic and religious sensibilities.

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

16. Santuário do Bom Jesus do Monte

Also known as Bom Jesus de Braga, this is an iconic landmark and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, close to Santuário de Nossa Senhora do Sameiro. Designed in the 18th century by Carlos Amarante, the project was inspired by Italian Neoclassical architecture. The 17-level staircase leading to the top is decorated with fountains, statues, and other Baroque decorations dedicated to various themes.

Inside the spacious and sober church, you can admire the 18th-century paintings by Pedro Alexandrino. Next to the church, you can visit the Library and the Museu da Confraria, where you can admire the collection of religious art pieces.

Once you reach the top, you will find the most stunning view over Braga and its surroundings.