Braga Cathedral
Braga Cathedral
Braga Cathedral is located in the parish of Sé, in the city and municipality of Braga, in the district of the same name, in Portugal.
It serves as the seat of the bishopric traditionally founded by Saint James the Greater, who is said to have appointed his disciple, Saint Peter of Rates, as its first bishop. Due to this apostolic origin, it is considered the Sacrosanct Primatial Basilica of the Iberian Peninsula, and its archbishop holds the title of Primate of the Spains (Primaz das Espanhas). It has its own liturgy, known as the Braga Rite.
Regarded as a center of episcopal influence and one of the most important Romanesque churches in the country, it houses the tombs of Henry of Burgundy, Count of Portugal, and his wife, Theresa of León, parents of Afonso Henriques (Portugal’s first king).
The cathedral stands on the foundations of an ancient Roman marketplace or temple dedicated to Isis, as evidenced by a votive stone on the eastern wall, as well as remnants of a later Paleo-Christian basilica.
Its best-documented history dates back to the work of the first bishop, D. Pedro of Braga, and the restoration of the episcopal see in 1070, of which few traces remain.
In 1128, a five-chapel chevet was initiated under Archbishop D. Paio Mendes, partially destroyed by the 1135 earthquake. Following the architectural canons of the Cluniac Benedictines, the work was directed by Nuno Paio.
By 1268, construction was still incomplete. The building continued to be modified with artistic interventions, most notably the galilee porch added to the façade in the early 16th century under D. Jorge da Costa and completed by D. Diogo de Sousa. The latter commissioned the iron grilles enclosing it, altered the main portal (destroying two of its archivolts), and ordered the construction of the apse and main chapel, designed by João de Castilho in the early 16th century.
In 1688, a major renovation campaign was promoted by Archbishop D. Rodrigo de Moura Teles, who transformed the façade in the Baroque style and added the lantern tower illuminating the transept.
The Treasury-Museum of Braga Cathedral is now housed in the former Chapter House, built in the early 18th century by Archbishop D. Rodrigo de Moura Teles.
In the 20th century, the tomb of Sister Maria Estrela Divina, a stigmatized mystic and miracle worker, was placed near the cloisters, becoming a focal point of popular devotion. The cathedral is also famous for its collection of sacred relics, including a fragment of the Cloak of the Virgin Mary, kept in the Chapel of Relics. The chapel contains chests holding the bones of numerous saints, with the legendary Holy Ark (Arca Sagrada) being particularly notable—its contents were once carried in procession during major feast days.
It has been classified as a National Monument since 1910.
