Legend and First Mention
In 1182, a knight named Dom Fuas Roupinho, commander of the Porto do Mos castle, was hunting on a high cliff by the sea in an area that is now part of Nazaré. That day he was pursuing a deer in thick fog. The deer ran toward the cliff's edge and the horse followed. When the rider realized he was on the edge in mortal danger, he recognized this place: it was right next to a small grotto where there was a statue of the Virgin Mary nursing Jesus. Dom Fuas, being a warrior of the Christian Reconquista era, managed to call upon the Virgin Mary: "Mother of God, help me!" and his horse miraculously stopped at the very edge of the cliff—thus saving the knight from inevitable death. Dom Fuas considered this a miracle. This place became known as Bico do Milagre. According to legend, the horse's hoofprints remained on the rock, where the knight ordered the construction of a small chapel "Capela da Memória" in honor of this miracle. Later this place became a pilgrimage center, and the statue of the Virgin Mary, believed to have arrived from Nazareth (an ancient city in Galilee, in present-day Israel), through Mérida in Spain, received special veneration. Hence the place got its name, connected with religious worship.
Development of the Nazaré Settlement
Until the 16th century, the main population lived on higher ground—in the areas of Pederneira and Sítio. The coastal part (present-day center of Nazaré by the beach) began to be actively settled only in the 18th century, after natural threats such as floods and storms diminished. People could then take advantage of the coastal location for fishing, trade, and religious tourism. The reduction of natural threats became possible due to the following factors:
• Construction of breakwaters and piers to protect the harbor and coastal territories from the destructive impact of storm waves and tides. Thanks to this, fishermen could go to sea more safely and store boats by the shore. Coastal erosion from waves decreased due to these barriers.
• Draining of swamps using drainage canals and ditches that diverted excess water to riverbeds and to the sea, helped reduce water stagnation, decrease humidity, and reduce the risk of mosquito-related diseases (such as malaria).
• Strengthening of shores and creating dams from stones and earth prevented erosion and destruction of the coastline. This helped make the shore stable, which contributed to the development of permanent structures.
• Relocation and expansion of settlements was connected with gradual improvement of conditions. This led to people beginning to build houses lower, closer to the sea, in the area of modern coastal Nazaré.
Origin of the Nossa Senhora da Nazaré Statue and Its Journey to Portugal
The story of the Nossa Senhora da Nazaré statue is one of the most ancient and interesting legends in Portuguese Christian tradition. Here's how it developed:
Nazareth, Galilee (1st century AD) According to tradition, the statue was carved by Saint Joseph himself and painted by the evangelist Luke. The statue depicts the Virgin Mary sitting with the infant Jesus on her left arm.
Emigration to Spain: Mérida During the early Christian period, the statue was allegedly brought to Mérida, one of the most important cities of Roman Spain, where it was kept in the Cauliniana monastery.
Flight from the Muslims (8th century) When the Moors (Muslims) conquered the Iberian Peninsula in the early 8th century, a monk named Romano (Frei Romano) fled with the relic from Mérida to protect it. He arrived in the area of present-day Nazaré (at that time a deserted and wild region), where he settled in a cave on a remote rock of the Atlantic coast, at the site of present-day Sítio. The rock rose directly above the ocean and was difficult for the Moors to access. According to tradition, Frei Romano died shortly after this, but managed to hide the statue in the grotto, where later in 1182, the miracle with Dom Fuas Roupinho occurred.
