Este santuário católico constitui-se num conjunto arquitetónico-paisagístico integrado por uma igreja, um escadório onde se desenvolve a Via Sacra do Bom Jesus, uma área de mata (Parque do Bom Jesus), alguns hotéis e um funicular (Elevador do Bom Jesus).
A sua peculiar disposição serviu de inspiração para outras construções, como por exemplo o Santuário de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios em Lamego, e o Santuário do Bom Jesus de Matosinhos na cidade de Congonhas, em Minas Gerais, no Brasil.
Acredita-se que a primitiva ocupação deste sítio remonte ao início do século XIV, quando alguém terá erguido uma cruz no alto do monte Espinho. No ano de 1373 já é mencionada uma ermida no local, sob a invocação da Santa Cruz. Esta ermida terá estado anexa à paróquia de Tenões.
Local de devoção e peregrinação das gentes da região de Braga, em 1494 foi erguida uma segunda ermida, por iniciativa do então Arcebispo de Braga, D. Jorge da Costa, conforme atestam as armas desse prelado, encontradas durante as obras empreendidas em 1839.
Uma terceira ermida foi erguida em 1522 por iniciativa do deão da Sé de Braga, D. João da Guarda, período em que se registou um aumento da devoção no local.
Em 1629 um grupo de devotos constituiu a Confraria do Bom Jesus do Monte, sendo edificada uma capela onde foi colocada uma imagem de Cristo Crucificado, além de casas para abrigo dos romeiros, e as primeiras capelas dos Passos da Paixão, sob a forma de pequenos nichos, dedicados aos episódios da Deposição da Cruz, da deposição no túmulo, da Ressurreição e da Ascensão. Foi nomeado o primeiro ermitão, Pedro do Rosário.
A partir de 1722, o então Arcebispo de Braga, D. Rodrigo de Moura Teles, concebeu e iniciou um grande projeto que desembocaria no atual Santuário.
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Bom Jesus do Monte is a Portuguese sanctuary in Tenões, surroundings of the city of Braga, in northern Portugal. Its name means Good Jesus of the Mount.
The Sanctuary is a notable example of pilgrimage site with a monumental, Baroque stairway that climbs 116 metres (381 feet). It is an important tourist attraction of Braga.
Many hilltops in Portugal and other parts of Europe have been sites of religious devotion since antiquity, and it is possible that the Bom Jesus hill was one of these. However, the first indication of a chapel over the hill dates from 1373. This chapel - dedicated to the Holy Cross - was rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries. In 1629 a pilgrimage church was built dedicated to the Bom Jesus (Good Jesus), with six chapels dedicated to the Passion of Christ.
The present Sanctuary started being built in 1722, under the patronage of the Archbishop of Braga, Rodrigo de Moura Telles. His coat of arms is seen over the gateway, in the beginning of the stairway. Under his direction the first stairway row, with chapels dedicated to the Via Crucis, were completed. Each chapel is decorated with terra cotta sculptures depicting the Passion of Christ. He also sponsored the next segment of stairways, which has a zigzag shape and is dedicated to the Five Senses. Each sense (Sight, Smell, Hearing, Touch, Taste) is represented by a different fountain. At the end of this stairway, a Baroque church was built around 1725 by architect Manuel Pinto Vilalobos.
The works on the first chapels, stairways and church proceeded through the 18th century. In an area behind the church (the Terreiro dos Evangelistas), three octagonal chapels were built in the 1760s with statues depicting episodes that occur after the Crucifixion, like the meeting of Jesus with Mary Magdalene. The exterior design of the beautiful chapels is attributed to renowned Braga architect André Soares. Around these chapels there are four Baroque fountains with statues of the Evangelists, also dating from the 1760s.
Around 1781, archbishop Gaspar de Bragança decided to complete the ensemble by adding a third segment of stairways and a new church. The third stairway also follows a zigzag pattern and is dedicated to the Three Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope and Charity, each with its fountain. The old church was demolished and a new one was built following a Neoclassic design by architect Carlos Amarante. This new church, began in 1784, had its interior decorated in the beginning of the 19th century and was consecrated in 1834. The main altarpiece is dedicated to the Crucifixion.
In the 19th century, the area around the church and stairway was expropriated and turned into a park. In 1882, to facilitate the access to the Sanctuary, the water balance Bom Jesus funicular was built linking the city of Braga to the hill. This was the first funicular to be built in the Iberian Peninsula and is still in use.
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