St. Benedict's open door basilica

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Exterior view of the basilica

The Basilica of St. Benedict of the Open Door ( Portuguese Basilica São Bento da Porta Aberta ) is a Roman Catholic church in Rio Caldo in northern Portugal . The church belonging to the Archdiocese of Braga is consecrated to Benedict of Nursia and received the title of a minor basilica in 2015 . It is part of the sanctuary of the same name , which has been protected as a national monument since 2011 , and from which there is a magnificent view of the valley of the Cávado with the Caniçada dam .

basilica

Interior of the basilica

The location of the church on the southern slope of the valley of the Rio Caldo goes back to a chapel which Aleixo de Menezes ordered to be built in 1614 as Archbishop of Braga for the care of the local believers. The chapel was then dedicated to St. Consecrated Benedict. The name São Bento da Porta Aberta arose from the door that was always open to travelers .

The construction of today's church dates from the end of the 19th century and is also of little architectural significance. At the old pilgrimage site, construction of the church began in 1880 and was completed in 1895. The bell tower that hugs the facade looks like the top of the sanctuary from Caniçada in the valley. From the church facilities are Azulejotafeln in the sanctuary, the life of St. Benedict, as well as highlighting the altarpiece covered with gold. The image of St. Benedict is venerated, in front of whom the pilgrims make their offerings and their promises.

On March 21, 2015, on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the sanctuary, Pope Francis raised the church to the rank of minor basilica at the request of Archbishop Jorge Ortiga of Brag .

crypt

Next to the basilica, the slightly lower, but much larger church was built in 1994 to accommodate the large number of pilgrims. This church, called the crypt , was consecrated in 1998 and completed in 2004. The ten azulejos, which represent episodes from the life of St. Benedict, are significant.

Web links

Commons : Basilica of St. Benedict the open door  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Basílica de São Bento da Porta Aberta on gcatholic.org
  2. ↑ Santuário de São Bento da Porta Aberta on monumentos.gov.pt (port.)
  3. ↑ São Bento da Porta Aberta on portugaldunord.com (port.)

Coordinates: 41 ° 41 ′ 25.8 "  N , 8 ° 12 ′ 13.5"  W.