Escadórios do Bom Jesus

The Bom Jesus steps are located on Estrada de São Pedro, municipality and district of Braga, in northern Portugal. It is located close to the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora do Sameiro.

The staircases are divided into three large sections: the so-called "Portico Staircase", the "Five Senses Staircase" and the "Three Virtues Staircase".

The beginning of the staircases of Bom Jesus are formed by the Escadório do Pórtico and are located at the bottom of the first flight of stairs built in 1723. The coat of arms of the person responsible for its construction, the then Archbishop of Braga, D. Rodrigo de Moura Teles, is inscribed on it.

The Bom Jesus Portico is located at the bottom of the first flight of the stairs, and the coat of arms of the person responsible for its construction, the then Archbishop of Braga D. Rodrigo de Moura Teles, is inscribed on it.

On the Staircase of the Portico are located the first Chapels of the Cross: the first “Chapel of the Last Supper or of the Cenacle”, the second “Chapel of the Agony or of the Garden”, the third “Chapel of Treason or Prison with the Fountain of Diana”, the fourth “Chapel of Darkness and Fountain of Mars”, the fifth “Chapel of the Flagellation and Fountain of Mercury, the seventh “Chapel of the Praetorium of Pilate”, the eighth “Chapel of Ascent to Calvary and Obelisks”, the ninth “Chapel of the Falls or Cyrineus” and the tenth “Chapel of the Crucifixion”.

The second flight of staircases is formed: “Escadório dos Cinco Sentidos” by five flights of stairs separated by landings with allegorical fountains for the five senses: “Fountain of Vision”, “Fountain of Hearing”, “Fountain of Smell”, “Fountain of Taste” and “Fountain of Touch”.

The third flight of stairs is formed: “Stadium of the Three Virtues” with three fountains dedicated to the theological Virtues: “Fountain of Faith”, “Fountain of Hope” and “Fountain of Charity”.

The staircase ends at Largo do Pelicano or Terreiro de Moisés, followed by the Churchyard, the Basilica of Bom Jesus and the Terreiro dos Evangelistas.

The beginning of the staircase is accessed by the Pórtico do Bom Jesus, which is characterized by an arch at the beginning of the staircase, a portal in a perfect round arch, torn on the side facades by oculi, where there is the coat of arms of the person responsible for its construction, the then Archbishop of Braga D. Rodrigo de Moura Teles.

On the outside of the pillars there are two inscriptions translated as: "Holy Jerusalem restored and rebuilt in the year 1723" and "By the illustrious Lord Dom Rodrigo de Moura Telles Archbishop Primate".

In this initial section are the first chapels of the Via Sacra do Bom Jesus: the first “Chapel of the Last Supper or the Cenacle”, the second “Chapel of the Agony or Horto”, the third “Chapel of Treason or Prison with the Fountain of Diana”, the fourth “Chapel of Darkness and Fountain of Mars”, the fifth “Chapel of the Flagellation and Fountain of Mercury, the seventh “Chapel of the Praetorium of Pilate”, the eighth “Chapel of Ascent to Calvary and Obelisks”, the ninth “Chapel of the Falls or Cyrineus” and the tenth “Chapel of the Crucifixion”.

After passing the Portico, the curves of the stairs are marked by Chapels that represent episodes from the life and passion of Christ.

The Chapel of the Last Supper or Cenacle is the first chapel on the steps and inside we can see Jesus sitting at the table with the 12 apostles, in the act of instituting the Eucharist, the central mystery that underpins faith, after having washed their feet in a gesture of great love and deep humility.

On his left side, the Apostle and Evangelist Saint John reclining on his chest and at the end of the table Judas the traitor, the supper table is covered with food with the bread and the cup in the center of the panel opening the way to eternal life.

Over the arched door is an inscription translated as: “When the supper was over, Jesus took the bread and said: Eat, this is my body”.

The second Chapel on the north side represents the Garden of Getsemani, with a square plan, emblazoned and was built in the time of D. Rodrigo de Moura Teles.

The interior of this Chapel was built in 1788, and contains 5 images: an Angel, Christ and three Apostles (Peter, James and John) and after the last supper Jesus retired at night with the Apostles to the Mount of Olives.

And here we see him praying with his arms open, anguished face, and blood running down his face, and the three Apostles fell asleep and high up on the wall an Angel who holds in his hand the Cross and the Chalice of bitterness that the Divine Redeemer accepted to suffer for our sins.

At the top of the front we read the inscription engraved in the granite translated as: “Filled with anguish, Jesus prayed with even more insistence”.

Next to a canopy of greenery, large trees and lush green forest is the third Emblazoned Chapel, with an octagonal plan, where the betrayal of Judas and the arrest of Jesus are staged.

Here we are taken to “Gethsemane”, to the Garden of Olives, After Jesus has warned the sleepy disciples to watch and pray so as not to fall into temptation, they are surprised by Judas, the Traitor, and by a large crowd that came with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and the elders of the people.

Inside the Chapel we find 11 images, where the kiss of betrayal and Pedro's attempts to defend the Master are staged.

In this prison scenario, the kiss is a rude sign of betrayal.

Outside we find the inscription translated as: “They laid their hands on Jesus and arrested him”. On the left side of the Chapel is a fountain or fountain of Diana, with the respective emblems: hand, quiver and bow.

Diana was the Roman goddess who identified herself as the divinity of woods and forests, hunting, water currents and lakes. According to tradition, this vengeful goddess took pleasure in human sacrifices and promoted animal massacres.

The Chapel of Darkness, octagonal, with archiepiscopal arms on the cornice, containing the image of Christ with his hands tied and eyes blindfolded, appearing on the right the fountain of Mars with a counter-curved back, topped by pinnacles where the warlike attributes appear.

Inside the Chapel we can find the image of Bom Jesus sitting on a stone designed by Evangelista Vieira with his wrists tied and his eyes covered.

Taken from the house of Annas to Caiaphas he asked him if he was the son of God, then he replied firmly “You say so, I am”.

Caiaphas tore his clothes in protest and added “he is guilty of death”. Then, they cover His eyes and attack Him with slaps, spitting, kicks and all kinds of ill-treatment.

Outside and above the door lintel it can be read translated as: "Then some spat in his face... and others slapped him”.

To the right of the Chapel is the fountain of Mars whose warrior symbols are: a pistol, a cutlass and a spear. Mars is the Roman God of war, he symbolizes brutality, rejoicing in aggression normally channeled towards evil. If on the one hand he is the killer, punisher and avenger, on the other hand he is the protector of the harvest, the defender of homes and young people.

It was customary to sacrifice numerous young people in honor of Mars. The Christ of this chapel could be seen as a young man offered as a holocaust.

This ascent up the sacred mountain takes us to the Capela dos Açoites and here we can see just one image of Christ attached to a column, designed by Fonseca Lapa, a sculptor from Gaia.

In this scene, non-verbal communication is transmitted by the expression of piety on the face of Christ.

At the front top of the chapel we can read the following inscription translated as: “Pilate arrested Jesus and ordered him to be flogged”. Pilate indirectly using his authority had him executed without any reason, but it was the Roman soldiers who carried out the scourging of Jesus.

To the left of the Chapel stands out the fountain of Mercury, a Roman divinity, son of Jupiter, identified in classical times with the Greek Hermes, with a hand supporting the winged rod on which two serpents were entwined, surmounted by 2 wings, a set of volutes, spiral ornaments and shells characteristic of the Rococo style.

Mercury appears as the father's messenger, as a shepherd, the one who guides souls to the kingdom of the dead.

The message here is that the kingdom of God can only be achieved at the cost of great sacrifice and by doing good to oneself and others.

The symbolism of the crown represents humiliation, torture, indifference, leading us to the expression of Jesus' suffering marked by his deep, black eyes.

At the top of the Chapel we can see the following inscription translated as: “Jesus came out bearing the crown of thorns”.

The source of Saturn or Cronos in Greek mythology has as an allegory an arm supporting a sickle symbol of time. In the Saturnal festivals of ancient Rome, chiefs were represented serving their servants.

In the coronation scene: Christ is the true King who is not of this world, but is a kind, humble King who loves and wants the good of everyone unconditionally.

At the end of the climb up the Pórtico stairs we can find a viewpoint dating from 1893, a resting place for pilgrims, with wide views over the city and which gives way to the road that crosses an arch or tunnel designed by engineer Manuel Couto Guimarães.

The viewpoint is covered with a mosaic pavement based on white and black stone, in stonework frames carved with different designs and on the part facing west, a parapet with an iron railing.

In this space is the seventh Chapel of the Praetorium of Pilate or Ecce-Hommo, where Pilate displays Jesus to the people, on the right as you go up, built at the beginning of the 19th century, with an octagonal plan and with the heraldic insignia of the restorer Moura Teles and displays on the portico the sign translated as: “Pilate came out and said: Here is the Man”.

Inside the chapel we can see two sculptures, that of Pilate and that of Jesus by João Evangelista Vieira.

The eighth Chapel of the Crowning of Thorns is the fountain of Saturn: and the symbolism of the crown, torture, humiliation leads us to Jesus' expression of suffering marked by his deep, black eyes.

At the top of the Chapel you can see the following inscription translated as: “Jesus came out carrying the crown of thorns”.

The eighth Chapel of Ascent or Calvário path already existed at the time of D. Rodrigo de Moura Teles.

It appears outlined on the map by Carlos Amarante, and renovated by the sculptor Evangelista Vieira located in a circular courtyard to the left as you climb.

This Chapel presents 12 images: The Lord, Mary Magdalene, the boy with the nails, Our Lady, a woman with her son on her lap, Veronica, Our Lady of Sorrows, the Cirinean and the Executioners. In this Chapel what stands out is Jesus carrying the Cross on his back, and the Cross is a symbol of resurrection life.

Above the door we can see the following inscription translated as: “The Good Jesus, bent over the weight of the tree that Cirineus helps carry, walks to Calvary…”

As we leave this space we pass by 2 columns (obelisks), in the shape of coiled serpents (an animal that prefigures the passage from earthly life to divine life), at the top we have a head where water gushes. The helical columns took the shape of 2 serpents whose heads loom at the top, the movement of the water in a serpent shape characterizes this impure animal. At the base of each obelisk we find 4 crocodile heads indicating the four cardinal points.

The ninth Chapel of the Falls or Cirineu built in the 19th century, with a hexagonal plan and a six-sided pyramidal dome.

Inside we see the image of Jesus lying on the ground with the Cross and Cyrineus holding it.

On the right side of those who go up, there is an inscription at the top of the entrance door translated as: “And they came to a place called Golgotha”.

This hexagonal chapel was built in the 19th century, but the figure is the oldest, maintaining the same 12 images from the 18th century representing Mount Calvary.

In this small chapel we see represented the images of Bom Jesus arriving at Calvary carrying the heavy cross on his shoulders, the executioners who carried out the crucifixion, appearing hard and cruel, contrasting with the indescribable pain of the Virgin Mother, who is next to the head of Jesus, supported by Mary Salome.

On the left side, we have Maria Cléofas and the Apostle Saint John with their hands on their foreheads, crying bitterly, and behind Mary Magdalene, desolate and horrified, lying on the small mountain.

On the outside of the Chapel we come across the following inscription translated as: “it was Tuesday time when they crucified Him”.

The first fountain, the Five Wounds, launches five strands in a stone shell emerging from a shield decorated at the top with the instruments of passion.

The Cinco Chagas fountain or Cinco Correntes fountain was built by master Diogo Soares in 1744, serving as the gateway to the staircase of the five senses.

After passing a few steps, we are surprised by the elegant frontispiece of the fountain inserted between 4 wedges of good stonework.

The fountain of the Five Wounds with rocaille ornamentation enclosed in a shield releases crystal clear water through 5 wound-shaped openings in a granite cup or shell and decorated by the instruments of the Passion of Christ: chalice, ropes, crown of thorns, hammers, lashes, tunic, vinegar container topped with a Cross.

From a shield in the shape of a coat of arms come five small openings that correspond to the five wounds on the body of Christ and from these 5 fountains water flows into a granite cup or shell raised on a small level with 2 steps.

The following inscription stands out on the fountain: "Fountains of purple then opened bitter hatred; now love transforms them here into crystals for you."

The Staircase of the Five Senses advancing at alternating angles through double flights and diverging lines that ascend to the side courtyards, converging on platforms with allegorical and heraldic fountains and we see granite statues on the parapets inspired by the Bible.

This staircase is divided into five equal flights, each with a staircase with two flights with nine steps each.

Each body of the staircase has a fountain, three statues in a triangle, pilasters on which pyramids or urns rest, and the courtyards are supported by masonry walls, painted white, with granite stonework pilasters.

This staircase is an allegory to the human body, that is, everything that is sensorial belongs to the domain of the animal kingdom, and we will see animals exemplifying in the various sources the capabilities of each sense, the discourse is organized from the least to the most, from the sensorial to the intellectual and mystical, from the greatest illusion provided by the look to the total demystification that only touch can provide.

The staircase of the Five Senses or allegorical of the sensory system begins next to the Fountain of the Five Wounds, and on each flight of stairs there is a fountain corresponding to one of the human senses.

The first statue to expel water through the eyes represents “Vision”, the second statue to expel water through the ears represents “Hearing”, the third to expel water through the nose represents “Smell”, the fourth to expel water through the nose represents “Smell” and the fifth to expel water through the mouth represents “Taste”.

At the source of the vision there is a statue throwing water through its eyes and has glasses in its left hand, three eagles look at the sun.

The central statue is the image of a shepherd with his hand on his chest and his eyes closed. The inscription is translated as: “Prudent man, take them (the flattering words) for a dream and thus you will watch”.

On the right, the statue of Moses, with two rays of light on his head, and in his right hand the rod with the coiled serpent. The inscription translated by says: «Moses. Those who, wounded, looked at her, healed.”

On the left, the statue of Jeremiah represents the sun and has in his right hand a rod with eyes, signifying the one he showed him in a vision. In the inscription translated as: «I see a watchful rod».

The source of hearing is represented by a figure that throws water through its ears, and three ox heads underneath.

The central statue is of a young man playing the zither with the inscription translated as: «Who sang to the sound of the zither, presiding over those who sang and praised the Lord».

On the left is the statue of King David playing the harp and the caption translated as: In my ear you will give joy and joy».

On the right, the figure of a woman playing the lyre with the following inscription translated as: «Your voice rings in my ears».

At the fountain of smell we see the figure of the fountain pouring water through its nose, holding an open box in its hands and on each side a dog.

The statue above the fountain is of a man holding his cape with his right hand and picking up a flower with his left and the inscription translated as: “Wise man. Give flowers like a lily and give off a sweet scent.”

On the left is Noah holding a lamb in his arms, next to an altar with the inscription translated as: «Noah. The Lord perceived a sweet smell.”

On the right Shunammite hugging a palm tree saying: “Your stature is like a palm tree... and the smell of your mouth is like apples”.

At the fountain of taste, the figure pours water from his mouth and has an apple in his left hand and on each side a monkey.

The central statue represents Joseph of Egypt with a chalice in his right hand and a plate of fruit in his left and the inscription translated as: “May your land be full of the blessings of the Lord, the fruits of heaven and the dew”.

On the left Jonathan with a spear, apologizing for having tasted the honey from the nearby tenement, saying “Jonatas. I tasted some honey on the end of a stick; and this is why I die...».

In the statue on the right, Ezra holding a cup and bread, with the sign: «Ezra. Try the bread, and do not abandon us, like a shepherd among wolves.”

Finally, the Fountain of Touch, which consists of a figure holding a clay vase held by two hands, from which water falls, with spiders being the symbolic animals.

The central statue of the fountain is of Solomon, holding the scepter, with the following inscription translated as: «Solomon. My insides trembled at his touch.”

On the left the statue of Isaiah that says: «Isaiah. He touched my mouth».

On the right is the statue of Isaac, blind with his hands outstretched looking for his son and saying: “Come closer to me, my son, so that I can touch you”.

The Virtudes staircase begins in a quadrangular atrium and was designed by Carlos Amarante at the same time as the Basilica or church of Bom Jesus.

Therefore, some similarities between this neoclassical staircase and the Basilica of Bom Jesus are notable.

In this section you can find allegorical sources alluding to Faith, Hope and Charity, which are the Theological Virtues necessary for entry into the Temple.

The Fé fountain features a simple cross with three drips in the openings of the nails and the following inscription translated as: “Living waters will flow from Him”.

The central statue represents Faith, a figure of a woman with blindfolded eyes, holding a chalice with a host in her left hand and pointing to her ear in her right hand. The caption reads: «Faith...argument from things not seen...faith is by the ear: and the hearing by the word of Christ».

On the left, the statue of docility represented by a woman with her left arm raised, clutching a snake in her hand. On the right arm is a shield with an elephant's head, topped with an hourglass crowned with a serpent between two mirrors. The inscription says: “With the heart one believes to achieve justice”.

On the right is the statue of confession, holding the Tablets of the Law in its left hand and pointing to the commandments in its right hand. The inscription says: “But confession is made with the mouth to obtain salvation.”

The Fountain of Hope is symbolized by Noah's ark beneath which water falls with the caption: «Ark in which... souls were saved».

The fountain has at its top the statue of hope, holding an anchor in its left hand and a dove in its right and the inscription: «Awaiting blessed hope and the coming of glory.

On the left side is the statue of Confidence with a ship in its hand and the inscription: «In hope will be your fortress.»

On the right side is the statue of Glory that holds the sun and a palm with the inscription: «The eye has not seen nor the ear heard».

Charity is represented by two children standing, holding a heart with a water spout in their hands.

In the center and on the upper plane is a statue of a woman with two children in her arms and the inscription: «These virtues are three... the greatest of them, however, is charity».

On the left the statue of Benignidade. A female figure with a diadem crowned by the sun, leaning against an elephant, with open arms and a pine branch in her right hand. The inscription says: “Charity is kind.”

On the right is the statue of Peace, with an olive branch in her right hand and the inscription: “Peace be to our brothers and charity with faith”.