Stairway to God: The Sanctuary of the Merciful Christ on Calvary
You know, when you see a photo on the web and you understand that you have to see it with your own eyes? Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte, the main center of pilgrimage in Portugal near Braga, with its rich symbolism and cascading, zigzag baroque staircase that personifies the thorny path to God is one of these places
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p>According to the legend, after the victory of the Portuguese-Castilian troops over the Moroccan Sultan and the Emir of Granada invading the Iberian Peninsula in 1340 Do, which went down in history as the battle of the river Salado, in the sky above Mount Espinho showed a huge cross. The Bishop of Braga, who linked the victory in the battle exclusively with the patronage of the Most Holy Cross of the Lord, took the mystery as a sign from heaven and immediately went with the church brethren and ordinary people of Braga to the slopes of the mountain. They established a crucifix and erected a small chapel, from which the pilgrimage of believers to this land began, uninterrupted to this day.
In addition to the location of the site, the sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte became world famous thanks to the very zigzag staircase Via Sacra, which has 577 steps and is divided into three flights. The lowest and the shortest part, the staircase of the portico with the coat of arms of the Archbishop More-Tellish, remained outside this reportage, and the very same card, if I may say so, and a recognizable image form the stairs of the Five Senses and the Three Virtues. The Ladder of the Five Senses originates from the fountain with the five wounds of Christ - water flows into a bowl of five holes in the coat of arms of Portugal.
According to the Jesuits, human senses are the doors through which the soul is released from the body's dungeon. On each of the next five flights of stairs, diverging symmetrically from the central axis with diagonal lines of 9 steps in each, there are fountains, pilasters with vases and sculptures that allegorically reflect sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. Going up the steps, the pilgrim is aware of the sacred character of the place around him and dissolves in his rich symbolism.
Together with the statues of the biblical kings on the parapets, the stairs established typical sculptures of the heroes of ancient myths, such as King Midas, Ganymede, Orpheus, and others, which later led to a noisy controversy in religious circles and issuing a decree on assigning other allegorical names to the figures kings, prophets and apostles from the old testament. So King Midas became Solomon and Ganymede became Joseph.
Go up higher and get on the staircase of the Three Virtues: Faith, Hope and Compassionate: Faith, Hope, and Compassionate: Faith, Hope, and Compassionate; repeating geometry and allegorical principle of decorating previous marches. Sculptures and fountains symbolize obedience, the glory of the Lord, trust, peacefulness, kindheartedness and other qualities that lead a righteous person’s life.
The first spacious terrace seems to be guarded by a gallant warrior on horseback, in armor and with a sharp spear at the ready. Unknowingly, it is realistic to assume that we have one of the Portuguese kings, who played an important role in the history of the country and patronized Brahe and the sanctuary of Bom Jesus du Monte, in particular. And in fact, Saint Longin, a Roman centurion, pierced the side of Jesus crucified on the cross with a spear and subsequently deeply repent of his deed and converted to the Christian faith.
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There is an unusual tradition in Braga: during the celebration of St. John's day, flirtatious girls, wanting to bring their marriage closer, bypass the statue of the saint with prayers in circles Longin in sanctuary. As the old legend says, in the vicinity of Bom Jesus do Monte lived, got to live and made a lone farmer Longin good. He had a good reputation and seemed to be an enviable bridegroom for those who were not indifferent, but none of them managed to earn his attention. Either the years of loneliness made themselves felt, or luck smiled and turned to Longin’s face, or the cupid’s arrows finally reached their goal, Longin fell in love with a girl named Rosyna and realized that dying alone with wealth is not the best fate. . As a respectable man, the farmer went to ask for the hand of the girl’s father. Daddy Pedro did not put a finger in his mouth and immediately realized that he could at the same time scoop a big jackpot from the marriage of his beloved daughter. After long negotiations, the parties came to an agreement.
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A beautiful love story is not without drama and a love triangle. Rosigne was angry at the joke when she found out about her father's decision, because she fell unconsciously in love with a guy named Arthur and had already promised to become his wife before the altar of Bom Jesus du Monte. The father remained adamant and, fearing of losing the sickly compensation, returned a scandal to her daughter, so that she had no choice but to agree to go beyond Longin through tears and flee to her room. Rosyna tried to calm down and began to pray to St. John. Suddenly, she heard a voice inside, assuring her that everything would be fine. That was St. John, after he went to Longin, who was also praying at that time. The saint turned to the humanity of the farmer in love and reproached him for being shamelessly longin, without saying a word to Rosigne herself, went to his father to discuss the amount of compensation in the marriage contract.
Longin saw the sight and realized that he had not the slightest right to destroy the happiness of two young people in love: “If you allow me, St. John, I would like to be a witness at their wedding. I understand that the beginning of the marriage of the newlyweds should be special, and I will make every effort to make it work out as best as possible. As for my love, then one day it will evaporate! ”Saint John returned to Rosyna and advised her to start preparations for the wedding with Arthur, and the greedy old man Pedro was left without easy money.
The main altar, depicting the scene of the crucifixion of Christ on the cross and surrounded by four Ionic columns, rests beneath a dome with a dark red canopy and curtains of Damascus fabrics embroidered with golden threads. The massive base of Calvary is carved from a single piece of granite. Jesus is depicted between two thieves — the Prudent and Insane Thieves, crucified with him. On the right hand of Christ is a prudent robber with a face turned in his direction, the Mad is traditionally depicted turned away in icons and sculptures.
Archbishop Bragi ordered the crucified Christ to be ordered in Italy. At the feet of Jesus - John the Evangelist, Mary Magdalene, the Virgin, a centurion and eight Roman soldiers.
In Orthodox and Catholic churches, and in mosques, too almost never feel the subtle energy from us deification and special holiness. Bom Jesus du Monte was no exception, but we also go to the basilica and cathedrals not to pray, but solely for the sake of the cultural component.
As the largest and most important pilgrimage site for Catholics in Portugal, the Bom Jesus du Monte complex is not limited to the basilica, chapels and the stairway of the “Sacred Way”. As early as the 19th century, hotels for pilgrims from afar, a library and an artificial grotto were built around the church, and a cozy, quiet park was set up on the slopes of the mountain, where you can even go boating along the pond.
Rejecting God and taking into account the purely aesthetic component and the atmosphere of goodness and peace that reigns in sanctuary, Bom Jesus du Monte, It’s worth the time to go to Braga from Porto.
For us, the sanctuary has become one of the most memorable places for the whole trip to Portugal, and in fact in this warm and becoming more and more popular tourist destination country every year there are many interesting, interesting and beautiful places with a rich history.
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