The Catholic Pilgrim's Guide to Balasar, Portugal

Shrine of Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa, the Eucharistic mystic who lived solely on Holy Communion for the last thirteen years of her life.

In the rural parish of Balasar, fifteen miles north of Porto, pilgrims discover one of the twentieth century's most extraordinary witnesses to the power of the Holy Eucharist. Here, Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa spent thirty years bedridden and paralyzed, offering her sufferings for the conversion of sinners—and for the final thirteen years of her life, she consumed nothing but daily Holy Communion, a phenomenon that baffled medical science and testified to the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. Alexandrina's story begins with an act of heroic purity. On Holy Saturday 1918, three men broke into her home intending violence. The fourteen-year-old girl leaped from a window to preserve her chastity, falling twelve feet and irreparably damaging her spine. By nineteen, she was completely paralyzed. Rather than despair, Alexandrina came to understand suffering as her vocation. From 1938 to 1942, she mystically relived Christ's Passion every Friday for three hours. Then, beginning on Good Friday 1942, she received no food or drink except the daily Eucharist—a fast that continued until her death on October 13, 1955, the anniversary of the final apparition at Fátima. Today, pilgrims visit Alexandrina's tomb in the parish church where she received Communion daily, and walk through the modest house where she suffered and prayed. The village itself seems set apart for this purpose: a miraculous cross that appeared in the ground on Corpus Christi 1832—nearly a century before Alexandrina's birth—was taken by the faithful as a sign that Balasar would one day receive a holy woman. That prophecy found its fulfillment in the "Santinha de Balasar," beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2004.

📜 History & Spiritual Significance

Alexandrina Maria da Costa was born on March 30, 1904, in Balasar, a rural parish belonging to the municipality of Póvoa de Varzim. Her father abandoned the family when she was young, leaving her mother to raise Alexandrina and her sister Deolinda in poverty. Despite limited schooling—barely eighteen months—Alexandrina developed a lively faith and cheerful disposition. She worked the fields, sewed with her sister, and made flower carpets for the local church. Everything changed on Holy Saturday, March 31, 1918. Three men, one of whom had previously attempted to molest her, broke into the house where Alexandrina was alone with her sister and another girl. To escape assault and preserve her virginity, the fourteen-year-old Alexandrina threw herself from a window, landing twelve feet below. The fall damaged her spine beyond repair. She struggled to walk for several years, dragging herself to church until age nineteen, when paralysis became complete. From her bed, Alexandrina initially prayed for miraculous healing, promising to become a missionary if cured. Gradually, she came to understand that God was calling her to a different mission. "Our Lady has given me an even greater grace," she wrote: "first, abandonment; then, complete conformity to God's will; finally, the thirst for suffering." She became what the Church calls a "victim soul"—one who offers personal suffering in union with Christ for the salvation of others. From October 3, 1938, until March 24, 1942, Alexandrina experienced a mystical grace that astonished all who witnessed it: every Friday for three hours, her paralyzed body would move through the Stations of the Cross as she relived Christ's Passion in body and soul. The physical and spiritual agony was intense, yet she bore it willingly for sinners. Then came the most extraordinary phase. On March 27, 1942, during Holy Week, Alexandrina received what she understood as divine instruction to live solely on the Eucharist. From that Good Friday until her death thirteen years and seven months later, she consumed no food or drink except the daily Host. Her weight dropped to approximately 73 pounds (33 kg). Doctors were summoned repeatedly to investigate what seemed medically impossible. In June 1943, Church authorities arranged for Alexandrina to be observed for forty days at Foce del Douro Hospital in Porto. Doctors monitored her constantly, confirming that she neither ate nor drank anything except her daily Communion. The official medical report, prepared by Dr. Gomes de Araújo, declared the phenomenon "scientifically inexplicable" and confirmed "it is absolutely certain that during forty days of being bedridden in hospital she did not eat or drink." Despite her suffering, visitors consistently found Alexandrina joyful and at peace. Jesus had told her in prayer: "I want that while your heart is filled with suffering, on your lips there is a smile." She corresponded with bishops and influenced Pope Pius XII's 1942 consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Her Salesian spiritual director, Father Umberto Pasquale, encouraged her to join the Association of Salesian Cooperators in 1944. Alexandrina died at 7:30 p.m. on October 13, 1955—the thirty-eighth anniversary of the final apparition at Fátima. Her last words were: "I am happy, because I am going to Heaven." She was originally buried in the parish cemetery, but her remains were later transferred to a side chapel in the parish church, where pilgrims venerate her today. Pope John Paul II beatified Alexandrina on April 25, 2004, in St. Peter's Square, declaring: "The life of Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa can be summarized in this dialogue of love. Permeated and burning with this anxiety of love, she wished to deny nothing to her Saviour... With the example of Blessed Alexandrina, expressed in the trilogy 'suffer, love, make reparation,' Christians are able to discover the stimulus and motivation to make noble all that is painful and sad in life."

☩ Pilgrimage Sites in Balasar

Balasar is a small rural parish, and its pilgrimage sites are within easy walking distance of one another. The parish church stands at the center of the village, with Alexandrina's house just up the road.

Parish Church of Santa Eulália (Eucharistic Sanctuary of Balasar)

Local Name: Igreja Paroquial de Santa Eulália de Balasar / Santuário Eucarístico de Balasar Address: Rua Alexandrina Maria da Costa, Balasar, 4570-017 Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal GPS Coordinates: 41.4004489, -8.6215629 Google Maps: View on Google Maps Dedication: St. Eulalia / Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa Historical Note: The parish church of Balasar dates to medieval times, though the current structure reflects later renovations. After Alexandrina's beatification in 2004, the church increasingly became known as the Eucharistic Sanctuary of Balasar. Plans are underway for a larger purpose-built sanctuary to accommodate growing pilgrim numbers. Spiritual Importance: Alexandrina's tomb occupies a side chapel within the church, marked by a white marble sarcophagus. Here pilgrims pray before the remains of the woman who lived on nothing but the Eucharist for thirteen years. The tomb bears the inscription Alexandrina herself requested: "Sinners, if the dust of my body can be of help to save you, come close, walk over it, kick it around until it disappears. But never sin again: do not offend Jesus anymore!" This is the church where Alexandrina received her daily Communion, carried to her bedside during her decades of paralysis. The altar where the priest consecrated the Host that would sustain her for thirteen years remains a powerful reminder of Christ's real presence in the Eucharist.

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House of Blessed Alexandrina

Local Name: Casa da Beata Alexandrina Address: Rua Alexandrina Maria da Costa, Balasar, 4570-017 Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal GPS Coordinates: 41.4010000, -8.6210000 Google Maps: View on Google Maps The modest house where Alexandrina lived, suffered, and died has been preserved as a museum. Visitors walk through the rooms where this remarkable woman spent thirty years bedridden, offering her sufferings for sinners and receiving the countless pilgrims who came seeking her prayers and counsel. The room maintains the same atmosphere she knew—simple, poor, permeated with faith. Here, too, is the window from which the fourteen-year-old Alexandrina leaped to preserve her purity, changing the course of her life forever. Personal belongings, religious items, and photographs document her extraordinary spiritual journey.

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Chapel of the Holy Cross

Local Name: Capela da Santa Cruz On Corpus Christi Day in 1832, a cross miraculously appeared impressed in the ground near Balasar. When townspeople attempted to remove it, they found it impossible—the mark had been permanently fixed. The faithful took this as a prophetic sign that Balasar would one day receive a holy woman. A chapel was built over the site to protect the miraculous cross, which remains visible to pilgrims today. The connection between this sign and Alexandrina's later appearance in the parish seemed to confirm God's special providence for this small village.

🕯️ Annual Feast Days & Celebrations

October 13 – Memorial of Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa Parish Church of Santa Eulália. Mass and veneration at Alexandrina's tomb on the anniversary of her death, which coincided with the anniversary of the final Fátima apparition. Pilgrims gather to honor the Eucharistic mystic and pray for her intercession. April 25 – Anniversary of Beatification Special celebrations commemorating Blessed Alexandrina's beatification by Pope John Paul II in 2004.

🛏️ Where to Stay

Balasar is a small rural parish with limited accommodation. Most pilgrims stay in nearby Póvoa de Varzim (10 km west) or Porto (25 km south) and visit Balasar as a day trip.

Hotels in Póvoa de Varzim

Axis Vermar Conference & Beach Hotel ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📍 Address: Avenida Vasco da Gama 20, 4490-410 Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal 🌐 Website: https://www.axishoteis.com 🔗 Booking.com: axis-vermar-hotel Beachfront hotel with spa facilities, ten kilometers from Balasar.

Hotels in Porto

Pilgrims may also choose from the extensive hotel options in Porto, approximately 25 km south. Porto offers international standard accommodations and is well connected to Balasar by bus.

🚗 Getting There

By Air: The nearest airport is Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport in Porto (OPO), approximately 15 km (9 miles) south of Balasar. International connections are available, and car rental facilities operate at the airport. By Bus: Regular bus service connects Porto to Póvoa de Varzim (approximately 45 minutes). From Póvoa de Varzim, local buses or taxis reach Balasar. Check current schedules with Rede Expressos or local operators. By Car: From Porto, take the A28 motorway north toward Viana do Castelo, exiting at Póvoa de Varzim. Balasar is signposted from Póvoa de Varzim, about 10 km inland. From Braga (35 km northeast), follow signs toward Póvoa de Varzim. From Fátima: Balasar lies approximately 230 km (145 miles) north of Fátima. Many organized pilgrimages include both sites. The journey takes approximately 2.5 hours by car via the A1 and A28 motorways.

📚 Further Reading

Articles & Online Resources:

🔗 Useful Links

🧭 Nearby Pilgrimage Destinations

  • Braga (35 km northeast) – Ancient archbishopric of Portugal with the Bom Jesus do Monte sanctuary and Sameiro Marian shrine.
  • Porto (25 km south) – Cathedral and historic churches of Portugal's second city.
  • Fátima (230 km south) – Site of the 1917 Marian apparitions. Blessed Alexandrina died on October 13, 1955—the anniversary of the final Fátima apparition.
  • Coimbra (100 km south) – Tomb of St. Elizabeth of Portugal and the convent where Sister Lúcia of Fátima lived.

🪶 Closing Reflection

"The life of Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa can be summarized in this dialogue of love. Permeated and burning with this anxiety of love, she wished to deny nothing to her Saviour. With a strong will, she accepted everything to demonstrate her love for him."
— Pope John Paul II, Beatification Homily, 25 April 2004