Bom Jesus do Monte is a sanctuary located on Mount Espinho’s slopes, overlooking the city of Braga, Portugal. Developed over a period of 600 years, the sanctuary is a notable monument with a Baroque stairway that leads through a series of chapels housing sculptures, fountains, and gardens, culminating in a Baroque church. In 2019, the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The construction of Bom Jesus do Monte lasted over 600 years. Therefore, it is a result of the integration of different architectural traditions and creative geniuses.
The landscape together with the sanctuary is part of a common European project to build Sacri Monti, a sacred mountain topped by a church. The church dedicated to Bom Jesus (Good Jesus) was built on the hill with six chapels dedicated to the Passion of Jesus in 1629. The construction of the current sanctuary started in 1722 under the patronage of the Archbishop of Braga. He directed the construction of the chapels as well as the first row of the stairway dedicated to Via Crucis. He dedicated each fountain to the five senses and decorated each chapel with terra cotta sculptures.
The Baroque church at the top of the hill dates from 1725, and there are three octagonal chapels behind the church dating from the 1760s. The sculptures were organized into two groups depending on their subjects. The first group of sculptures depicts scenes before Jesus Christ’s death, and the second group of statues depicts the Evangelists. In the early 19th century, a new church was built, then the area surrounding the stairway was turned into a park.
