- Time of past OR future Camino
- Some in the past; more in the future!
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Braga has been important in history. It was the capital of Gallaecia, that included the current Galicia, for more than 300 years.
This is beautiful. I have been in Braga two or three times and never heard or saw anything about it.
@jungleboy, I’m wondering if the “Braga way” is really the Caminho Portugues Interior?
What are your walking plans/hopes for this year if any?
BTW, have you heard of or been to Sao Pedro de Balsemao — it’s near Lamego.
São Frutuoso is a funerary chapel that was built in AD 660 by the eponymous bishop of Braga, north of the historic centre of town. It was later modified in the high Middle Ages and experts debate whether the dominant architectural features date from the original Visigothic building or the Mozarabic modification. In any case, the remaining original aspects make it the most important pre-Romanesque Christian building in Portugal.
I learned something today, @jungleboy, thank you.São Frutuoso in the same category as Wamba on the Camino de Madrid, given the Visigothic-Mozarabic architectural features of both structures. Wamba is more impressive because of its ossuary and frescoes, but São Frutuoso is still wonderful in its own right.
And after the fall of the Roman Empire, Braga was the capital of the independent Swabian kingdom for 180 years.Yes. It's interesting how Portugal has come to be wholly associated with the Roman province of Lusitania as though the borders of both are nearly identical, but (very roughly) there is actually only about two-thirds correlation (with maybe 40% of Lusitania being outside Portugal, and about 20-25% of Portugal being in Gallaecia). And since the capital of Lusitania was Mérida in modern Spain, that makes Braga the only Roman provincial capital in modern Portugal.
I'm not sure where I got this map from but it's interesting to contemplate!
View attachment 77763
There are things in common between Galicia and northern Portugal: similar language, vegetables (berzas, grelos), horreos, lack of interest in bullfights, and more.
Yes, I've been there! I liked it but São Frutuoso retains more of its original form. São Pedro de Balsemão has a couple of Visigothic capitals but everything else is pretty clearly much later.
I spent a few days in and around Braga in northern Portugal this week and discovered an amazing medieval chapel that should be more well known than it is - for example, it is not even mentioned in the Lonely Planet Portugal guidebook that I have (the 2014 9th edition). So here’s my attempt to hype it up!
São Frutuoso is a funerary chapel that was built in AD 660 by the eponymous bishop of Braga, north of the historic centre of town. It was later modified in the high Middle Ages and experts debate whether the dominant architectural features date from the original Visigothic building or the Mozarabic modification. In any case, the remaining original aspects make it the most important pre-Romanesque Christian building in Portugal.
It’s a small chapel on a Greek cross floorplan with eight of 22 columns extant (six of the eight with their medieval capitals). It’s wonderfully atmospheric and to be there all by ourselves for about 45 minutes was incredible and easily the highlight of Braga for me. The Bom Jesus sanctuary nearby is much more famous but not nearly as interesting for me as an amateur medievalist.
I put São Frutuoso in the same category as Wamba on the Camino de Madrid, given the Visigothic-Mozarabic architectural features of both structures. Wamba is more impressive because of its ossuary and frescoes, but São Frutuoso is still wonderful in its own right.
Braga, the third largest city in Portugal, is not on the main CP but easily reachable by train from Porto. It’s also the starting point for an alternative CP known as the Braga Way. We saw quite a few camino arrows, including at São Frutuoso.
This is amazing. So glad to know about it. Structures of this period fascinate me. I was supposed to be in Braga in April/May. But no!I spent a few days in and around Braga in northern Portugal this week and discovered an amazing medieval chapel that should be more well known than it is - for example, it is not even mentioned in the Lonely Planet Portugal guidebook that I have (the 2014 9th edition). So here’s my attempt to hype it up!
São Frutuoso is a funerary chapel that was built in AD 660 by the eponymous bishop of Braga, north of the historic centre of town. It was later modified in the high Middle Ages and experts debate whether the dominant architectural features date from the original Visigothic building or the Mozarabic modification. In any case, the remaining original aspects make it the most important pre-Romanesque Christian building in Portugal.
It’s a small chapel on a Greek cross floorplan with eight of 22 columns extant (six of the eight with their medieval capitals). It’s wonderfully atmospheric and to be there all by ourselves for about 45 minutes was incredible and easily the highlight of Braga for me. The Bom Jesus sanctuary nearby is much more famous but not nearly as interesting for me as an amateur medievalist.
I put São Frutuoso in the same category as Wamba on the Camino de Madrid, given the Visigothic-Mozarabic architectural features of both structures. Wamba is more impressive because of its ossuary and frescoes, but São Frutuoso is still wonderful in its own right.
Braga, the third largest city in Portugal, is not on the main CP but easily reachable by train from Porto. It’s also the starting point for an alternative CP known as the Braga Way. We saw quite a few camino arrows, including at São Frutuoso.
This is beautiful. I have been in Braga two or three times and never heard or saw anything about it.@jungleboy, I’m wondering if the “Braga way” is really the Caminho Portugues Interior? I’ve never heard it referred to in that way, but there is a subforum here with a fair amount of info. It is on my list for when I am looking for a short, untraveled caminho.
What are your walking plans/hopes for this year if any?
BTW, have you heard of or been to Sao Pedro de Balsemao — it’s near Lamego. After two or three failed attempts to find it (not while walking), we finally found it in a trip in 2015. If I can figure out how to upload a photo or two, I will, but I know you don’t like seeing photos ahead of your visit so the pressure is off!
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