The Catholic Pilgrim's Guide to Nazaré, Portugal

Atlantic clifftop pilgrimage site where Dom Fuas Roupinho was saved from plunging over the precipice in 1182 after invoking Our Lady of Nazaré.

On a misty September morning in 1182, the knight Dom Fuas Roupinho galloped in pursuit of a deer along the clifftops of Nazaré. As the animal vanished into the fog over the precipice's edge, his horse thundered toward the void—until the knight cried out to the Virgin whose image lay hidden in a grotto below. The horse stopped abruptly at the cliff's very edge, leaving a hoofprint in the rock that pilgrims can still see today. This dramatic rescue established Nazaré as one of Portugal's oldest Marian pilgrimage sites, where a Black Madonna brought from the Holy Land in 711 has drawn the faithful for over eight centuries. The fishing village of Nazaré rises from a crescent beach to the clifftop promontory known as O Sítio, 110 metres above the Atlantic. Here, three interconnected sanctuaries tell the story of Our Lady's miraculous intervention: the ancient grotto where the image was first venerated, the small Chapel of Memory built over it after the miracle, and the baroque sanctuary church founded by King Ferdinand I in 1377. The site attracted Portugal's most illustrious figures—Vasco da Gama prayed here before his voyage to India, Pedro Álvares Cabral visited before discovering Brazil, and St. Francis Xavier stopped before departing for Goa. Pope Francis invoked Nazaré's image when addressing World Youth Day volunteers in 2023, likening the waves of young pilgrims to the giant waves that draw surfers from around the world. Today Nazaré welcomes pilgrims from across the Portuguese-speaking world, especially during the September feasts when the venerated image—said to have been carved by St. Joseph himself—processes through streets lined with devotees. The historic funicular, built in 1889 specifically to help pilgrims reach the sanctuary, still carries visitors from the beach to the clifftop shrine where Dutch azulejo tiles depict the legendary miracle and the sacred statue gazes from her gilded throne.

📜 History & Spiritual Significance

According to tradition, the statue of Our Lady of Nazaré was carved by St. Joseph in the presence of the Virgin Mary and later painted by St. Luke the Evangelist. Venerated in Nazareth in the Holy Land from apostolic times, the small wooden image depicting Mary nursing the infant Jesus survived the iconoclast persecution of the 5th century when the Greek monk Cyriakos brought it to the Iberian Peninsula. It found refuge at the monastery of Cauliniana near Mérida. In 711, following the Christian defeat at the Battle of Guadalete, the monk Frei Romano fled with the sacred image and the former King Roderic. They reached Portugal's Atlantic coast on November 22, 711, settling near a Visigothic monastery. Frei Romano established a hermitage in a sea-cliff grotto and placed the statue on a simple altar, where it remained undisturbed for centuries after his death. Shepherds eventually discovered the hidden image, and miracles began to occur. The pivotal moment came on September 14, 1182, when Dom Fuas Roupinho, the warden of nearby Porto de Mós castle, chased what he believed was a deer toward the cliff. At the last instant, he invoked Our Lady of Nazaré, and his horse miraculously halted. When workers later built the Chapel of Memory over the grotto, they found an ivory chest containing relics of Saints Blaise and Bartholomew, along with a parchment narrating the statue's history. King Ferdinand I ordered the construction of a proper church in 1377 to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims. Successive Portuguese monarchs enhanced the sanctuary: King John I added wooden porticos, King John II expanded the temple, and King Manuel I replaced the wooden structures with stone. The church underwent major baroque reconstruction between 1680 and 1691, acquiring its present magnificent form. The devotion to Nossa Senhora da Nazaré spread throughout the Portuguese Empire. In 1700, the image arrived in Belém do Pará, Brazil, where the annual Círio de Nazaré procession grew into one of the world's largest Catholic celebrations, drawing over two million devotees. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, Nazaré ranked as Portugal's most important Marian sanctuary before the apparitions at Fátima.

☩ Pilgrimage Sites in Nazaré

The three sanctuaries of Nazaré occupy the dramatic clifftop promontory of O Sítio, connected by the historic 1889 funicular. The main square offers sweeping views of the Atlantic and the famous waves that can reach 30 metres—the largest ever surfed.

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazaré

Local Name: Santuário de Nossa Senhora da Nazaré Address: Largo de Nossa Senhora da Nazaré, 2450-065 Nazaré, Portugal GPS Coordinates: 39.6046206, -9.0761209 Google Maps: View on Google Maps Website: https://cnsn.pt Dedication: Our Lady of Nazareth Historical Note: King Ferdinand I founded this church in 1377 to replace an earlier chapel that could no longer accommodate the growing number of pilgrims. The original medieval structure underwent complete baroque reconstruction between 1680 and 1691, emerging as the imposing two-towered sanctuary visible today. The interior received extensive enhancement in the early 18th century when Dutch master Willem van der Kloet created the magnificent blue-and-white azulejo panels depicting scenes from the life of Joseph in Egypt. Spiritual Importance: The sacred image of Our Lady of Nazaré—a small wooden statue depicting Mary nursing the infant Jesus—occupies a gilded niche above the high altar, wrapped in a green cloak embroidered with gold thread gifted by King John V. Pilgrims access the statue via a special staircase from the sacristy. The image now rests behind protective glass after an attack, continuing a tradition of veneration unbroken since the 8th century. Each September 8th, thousands gather as the statue processes through Nazaré in Portugal's oldest continuous Marian pilgrimage.

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Chapel of Memory

Local Name: Ermida da Memória Address: Largo de Nossa Senhora da Nazaré, Sítio da Nazaré, 2450-065 Nazaré, Portugal GPS Coordinates: 39.6046206, -9.0761209 Google Maps: View on Google Maps Dedication: Our Lady of Nazareth Historical Note: Dom Fuas Roupinho built this small square chapel in 1182 directly over the grotto where Frei Romano had placed the sacred image. King Ferdinand I enclosed the originally open arches in 1370. The chapel features a distinctive pyramidal tiled roof and a limestone bas-relief depicting the Virgin with Child flanked by Saints Blaise and Bartholomew on one side and King Roderic with Frei Romano on the other—a replica of the 14th-century original now preserved in the Rector Luís Nesi Museum. Spiritual Importance: The interior glows with 17th and 18th-century azulejo panels by Master António Oliveira Bernardes depicting the miracle of Dom Fuas Roupinho. A staircase descends to the crypt, where pilgrims can view the ancient grotto through iron grating—the very spot where the sacred image was hidden for centuries. The tile panel in the crypt vault illustrates the dramatic moment of the knight's salvation. Outside, near the cliff edge, pilgrims can see the horse's hoofprint impressed into the rock.

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The Hermit's Grotto

Beneath the Chapel of Memory lies the original grotto where Frei Romano lived as a hermit until his death, tending the sacred image of Our Lady. According to legend, those who ventured too deep into the cave's tunnels disappeared, leading to the construction of protective barriers. Pilgrims today can glimpse this cave through iron grating in the chapel's crypt, where a replica of the Virgin stands on the ancient altar site.

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Nazaré Funicular

Built in 1889 by engineer Raul Mesnier du Ponsard—a student of Gustave Eiffel—specifically to help pilgrims reach the sanctuary, this historic funicular remains one of the steepest in Portugal with a 42% gradient. The brief ascent from the beach to O Sítio offers dramatic views of the coastline and transports pilgrims from the fishing village to the sacred clifftop in minutes.

🕯️ Annual Feast Days & Celebrations

September 8 – Feast of Our Lady of Nazaré Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazaré. Portugal's oldest continuous Marian pilgrimage reaches its culmination on this municipal holiday when the sacred image processes through Nazaré's streets. Festivities begin in late August with a novena of prayer and include folk celebrations, traditional music, and thanksgiving processions by fishing families. February 3 – Pilgrimage of São Brás Chapel of São Bartolomeu. This profane-religious festival at the nearby Monte de São Bartolomeu celebrates the relics of Saint Blaise discovered alongside the sacred image. The day marks the beginning of Carnival season with traditional foods, music, and masks.

🛏️ Where to Stay

4-Star Hotels

Hotel Praia ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📍 Address: Avenida Vieira Guimarães 39, 2450-110 Nazaré 🌐 Website: https://www.hotelpraia.com 🔗 Booking.com: praia Modern beachfront hotel with rooftop pool offering panoramic ocean views. Located just 50 metres from Nazaré Beach with the funicular to O Sítio within easy walking distance. Miramar Hotel & Spa ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📍 Address: Rua Abel da Silva 36, 2450-061 Nazaré 🌐 Website: https://www.miramarnazarehotels.com 🔗 Booking.com: miramar-spa-apartments Historic hotel with spa facilities, indoor and outdoor pools, and stunning Atlantic views. Convenient base for exploring both beach and clifftop sanctuaries.

3-Star Hotels

Hotel Mar Bravo ⭐⭐⭐ 📍 Address: Praça Sousa Oliveira 71, 2450-159 Nazaré 🔗 Booking.com: mar-bravo Beachfront hotel overlooking Nazaré Beach with excellent seafood restaurant. Prime location for pilgrims with views toward the São Miguel Arcanjo Fort. Hotel Mare ⭐⭐⭐ 📍 Address: Rua Mouzinho de Albuquerque 8, 2450-124 Nazaré 🔗 Booking.com: mare Central location with balcony rooms offering ocean views. Walking distance to the funicular and beach, ideal for pilgrims exploring the sanctuary complex.

🚗 Getting There

By Air: Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS) lies 120 km south—approximately 90 minutes by car via the A8 motorway. Porto Airport is 200 km north. By Train: The nearest station is Valado dos Frades (5 km) on the Linha do Oeste, with connections from Lisbon via Caldas da Rainha. Local buses connect the station to Nazaré town centre. By Bus: Rede Expressos operates direct services from Lisbon's Sete Rios terminal (approximately 2 hours). Buses arrive at Nazaré's central bus station near the beach. By Car: From Lisbon, take the A8 motorway north toward Leiria, exiting at Valado dos Frades/Nazaré. Paid parking is available near the beach and in O Sítio near the sanctuary. Local Transport: The historic 1889 funicular operates between the beach and O Sítio every 15 minutes (small fee). The clifftop sanctuary is also accessible by road for those with mobility limitations.

📚 Further Reading

Articles & Online Resources:

🔗 Useful Links

🧭 Nearby Pilgrimage Destinations

Fátima (65 km east) – Site of the 1917 Marian apparitions and Portugal's most visited pilgrimage destination, with the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary and the Chapel of the Apparitions. Batalha (25 km northeast) – The magnificent Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória, built by King John I to fulfill a vow to the Virgin Mary after victory at Aljubarrota in 1385. Alcobaça (15 km northeast) – Cistercian Monastery of Alcobaça, a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded in 1153, housing the tombs of King Pedro I and Inês de Castro. Óbidos (35 km south) – Medieval walled town with the Sanctuary of Senhor da Pedra and the Church of Santa Maria, where the young King Afonso V married his cousin Isabel.

🪶 Closing Reflection

"To the north of Lisbon is a place, Nazaré, where it is possible to see waves of up to thirty metres high, which attract surfers from all over the world. In these days, you also have faced a real wave: not of water, but of young people—like you, who have poured into this city. Yet with God's help, with great generosity and mutual support, you have ridden this great wave. Carry on, keep riding the waves of love, of charity. Be 'surfers' of love!"
— Pope Francis, Address to WYD Volunteers, Lisbon, 6 August 2023