The Holy Meaning of the Portuguese Stairs

What is on the picture above? It's the stairs near Bom Jezus church not far from Braga, Portugal.

The concept of the construction is amazing. At the foot of the mountain starts a zigzag way to the temple. Going up a pilgrim is supposed to empathize the martydoms and the way of Jesus Christ to the cross. Each turn is decorated with a little chapel devoted to one of the event of those days: the prayer of the Chalice, the kiss, the crowning with thorns etc. The way at first leads through the forest and then it comes to the open site with a bar stairway that you may see on the picture.

Going further up

On each site on your way there fountains symbolizing one of the human senses. Sight

Hearing

Smell


Taste

The top of the complex is not a place for a final relaxation, inside is death. On the Cross. It looks quite creepy and dark, with gloomy light and three crosses at the altar. Basilica doesn't hide anything, it shows scrathes, cuts, bruises, haematomas. Very physiologically, in the necessary colors. No white marble, like other nations prefer. It's banned to photograph there, so depict it in your mind yourself.

Behind the church is finally the way where one may follow the end of the earthly history until the very rapture.
Very interesting - the finale is not a happy end, but the moment of death. Beautiful.

Asked to smile..

The cathedral that was built in honour of Pope's visit here.

What do you think it is?

Right - wings of an angel.



Strange monument nearby




Beautiful bench

and ... the precipice.
via iii0iii