Santuário de Nossa Senhora do Castelo, incluindo a Casa do Ermitão, escadório e capelas anexas, Religious sanctuary on Monte do Castelo, Mangualde, Portugal
The Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora do Castelo is a religious site on a hilltop near Mangualde featuring a main church, a hermit's dwelling, and several smaller chapels. These structures are connected by a monumental stairway that shapes the landscape and guides visitors upward through the complex.
The site began as a fortified settlement from the Iron Age and was later occupied by Romans before transforming into a religious sanctuary during the 19th century. This progression shows how the hilltop attracted different cultures and communities across centuries.
The sanctuary is dedicated to the veneration of the Virgin Mary and reflects religious traditions practiced by worshippers for many generations. Visitors climb the monumental stairs as part of a spiritual journey, visiting the different chapels along the way.
The sanctuary welcomes visitors without entrance fees and can be reached by contacting the site directly. The monumental stairway provides access upward but requires comfortable shoes and some physical effort to reach the top.
The neoclassical church houses a distinctive statue of the Virgin Mary with child on its main altar that has drawn pilgrims for decades. This artwork remains a focal point of the sanctuary's religious significance today.
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