Bom Jesus do Monte

Over the years, I have been to Bom Jesus do Monte two times. It is located in the city of Braga, in northern Portugal, and is clearly the city’s signature or logo in terms of places of touristic import.
You may have noticed Bom Jesus do Monte if you’ve ever glanced at any books on or guides to Portugal. It’s sort of like going to Greek delis or seeing tour packages for Greece that ALWAYS show this photo:
And you ask yourself, «Where the hell is that?» Then, you stumble across a caption at the bottom right hand of a poster and it will indicate that it is Zakynthos, Greece, on that country’s western coast on the Adriatic /​Ionian Sea.
The same is true of Bom Jesus do Monte. It is a beautiful, albeit not particularly big, Portuguese Baroque church of historical import, but everyone marvels more at the ornate staircase up the side of the hill from the town to the courtyard in front of the church. Taking this grand staircase both down, and up, is obviously good exercise and, for many, its countless vantage points seem to make it a haven for photographers. It is this grand staircase which you will inevitably see if you read about and look at photos of Portugal. The reason you may take the staircase in both directions is because the parking lots, a bus, and the tram deliver you to the uppermost levels of the grounds, closest to the church.
It’s really interesting that this country has a trademark style of ubiquitous Baroque churches with many similarities to ones in Italy, with the exception that the walls in Portugal tend to be whitewashed. This is the case with Bom Jesus do Monte, and the walls really contrast with the stone masonry. Inside, the artistry is also quite amazing.
You don’t go to northern Portugal to go to Braga, though. You go there to go to Porto, the country’s second largest city. Then, from Porto, you can both visit that city’s many sights in addition to taking side trips. I can suggest 4 such side trips, in different directions and for different things. They are as follows:
1. Braga, for this church, and Guimaraes, for being «the cradle of Portugal,» where Portugal was historically born, much like Philadelphia is where the U.S. was born
2. Viana do Castelo and nearby towns, to sample the cool, verdant coast of northern Portugal, which is fairly different from the more Mediterranean look of the country’s southern beaches
3. Amarante and Vila Real, inland to the east, located in the Rio Douro Valley, famous for its wines … and, at Vila Real, one can visit the Casa de Mateus, which one will have seen if they watched the commercials for Mateus Rose’ wine back in the day or have picked up a bottle of that wine and looked at the label
4. Aveiro and environs, noting that seaside Aveiro is known as «the Venice of Portugal.»
Keep in mind that, being inland, Braga can be hot in the summer, so dress accordingly, and it can be cold and damp in the winter, being that it is in the north of Portugal. Also, since most Europeans, and normal people in general, are fine with stereotyping and profiling a country’s different regions and attitudes, the Porto area, known for its no nonsense lack of pretense, offers up variants of this jingle: ‘Porto works and Braga prays, Coimbra studies and Lisbon shows off…’ While Fatima, north of Lisbon, has the famous sanctuary and is the site of pilgrimages, Braga is viewed as the religious heart of Portugal.
Either way, Braga is a charming, relaxed city that is definitely worth visiting. And, even if not interested in praying, the combination of this beautiful church, a verdant mountainside, and one of the grandest staircases anywhere is ample reason to visit Braga and Bom Jesus do Monte.

Zona linda e aprazível, onde se respira calma e ar puro, muito bonito aconselho o lago com os barcos, para nos divertirmos, a mata do bom Jesus é fenomenal, um sitio lindo para tirar fotografias, apenas o que tem de mau é o pó, pois suja-​nos os sapatos.