Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Black Madonna

Nazaré is a popular seaside resorts in the Costa de Prata. The town consists of three neighbourhoods: Praia (seen here, along the beach), Sítio and Pederneira two old villages on top of a cliff. Praia and Sítio are linked by the Nazaré Funicular. The earliest settlement was in Sítio, above the beach. This provided the inhabitants with refuge against raids by Viking and, later pirates, that lasted until as late as the beginning of the 19th century. Only in the 19th century, with the end of piracy, it was possible to start occupying the Praia which is today considered the town center. According to the Legend of Nazaré, the town derives its name from a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, brought from Nazareth, Holy Land, to a monastery Mérida, Spain, by a monk in the 4th century. The statue was brought to its current location in 711 by another monk, Romano, accompanied by Roderic, the last Visigoth king of Portugal. After their arrival at the seaside they decided to become hermits. Romano lived and died in a small natural grotto, on top of a cliff . After his death the king buried him in the grotto. Roderic left the statue of the Black Madonna in the grotto on an altar. Nazaré was the most important place of pilgrimage in Portugal until the beginning of the 20th century. The church of Nossa Senhora da Nazaré is still the destination of pilgrims today. As the church presents itself today, it is essentially a work of the 17th century, the result of the complete remodeling of a previous building from the 14th century, which was erected in honour of "Our Lady of Nazareth", but soon proved to be too small to accommodate all the many processions and pilgrimages it was the destination of due to the great popularity of the Marian cult. The statue of Nossa Senhora da Nazaré stands in a shrine above the high altar.

Nazaré is a popular seaside resorts in the Costa de Prata. The town consists of three neighbourhoods: Praia (seen here, along the beach), Sítio and Pederneira two old villages on top of a cliff. Praia and Sítio are linked by the Nazaré Funicular. The earliest settlement was in Sítio, above the beach. This provided the inhabitants with refuge against raids by Viking and, later pirates, that lasted until as late as the beginning of the 19th century. Only in the 19th century, with the end of piracy, it was possible to start occupying the Praia which is today considered the town center. According to the Legend of Nazaré, the town derives its name from a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, brought from Nazareth, Holy Land, to a monastery Mérida, Spain, by a monk in the 4th century. The statue was brought to its current location in 711 by another monk, Romano, accompanied by Roderic, the last Visigoth king of Portugal. After their arrival at the seaside they decided to become hermits. Romano lived and died in a small natural grotto, on top of a cliff . After his death the king buried him in the grotto. Roderic left the statue of the Black Madonna in the grotto on an altar. Nazaré is world-famous among big wave surfers, because between November and February the waves can be huge. But when we were here, the season was obviously already over. www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mT0DzAY7dQ

Nazaré is a popular seaside resorts in the Costa de Prata. The town consists of three neighbourhoods: Praia (seen here, along the beach), Sítio and Pederneira two old villages on top of a cliff. Praia and Sítio are linked by the Nazaré Funicular. The earliest settlement was in Sítio, above the beach. This provided the inhabitants with refuge against raids by Viking and, later pirates, that lasted until as late as the beginning of the 19th century. Only in the 19th century, with the end of piracy, it was possible to start occupying the Praia which is today considered the town center. According to the Legend of Nazaré, the town derives its name from a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, brought from Nazareth, Holy Land, to a monastery Mérida, Spain, by a monk in the 4th century. The statue was brought to its current location in 711 by another monk, Romano, accompanied by Roderic, the last Visigoth king of Portugal. After their arrival at the seaside they decided to become hermits. Romano lived and died in a small natural grotto, on top of a cliff . After his death the king buried him in the grotto. Roderic left the statue of the Black Madonna in the grotto on an altar. Lavandaria in Sitio

Nazaré is a popular seaside resorts in the Costa de Prata. The town consists of three neighbourhoods: Praia (seen here, along the beach), Sítio and Pederneira two old villages on top of a cliff. Praia and Sítio are linked by the Nazaré Funicular. The earliest settlement was in Sítio, above the beach. This provided the inhabitants with refuge against raids by Viking and, later pirates, that lasted until as late as the beginning of the 19th century. Only in the 19th century, with the end of piracy, it was possible to start occupying the Praia which is today considered the town center. According to the Legend of Nazaré, the town derives its name from a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, brought from Nazareth, Holy Land, to a monastery Mérida, Spain, by a monk in the 4th century. The statue was brought to its current location in 711 by another monk, Romano, accompanied by Roderic, the last Visigoth king of Portugal. After their arrival at the seaside they decided to become hermits. Romano lived and died in a small natural grotto, on top of a cliff . After his death the king buried him in the grotto. Roderic left the statue of the Black Madonna in the grotto on an altar. Chapel in Sitio

Nazaré is a popular seaside resorts in the Costa de Prata. The town consists of three neighbourhoods: Praia (seen here, along the beach), Sítio and Pederneira two old villages on top of a cliff. Praia and Sítio are linked by the Nazaré Funicular. The earliest settlement was in Sítio, above the beach. This provided the inhabitants with refuge against raids by Viking and, later pirates, that lasted until as late as the beginning of the 19th century. Only in the 19th century, with the end of piracy, it was possible to start occupying the Praia which is today considered the town center. According to the Legend of Nazaré, the town derives its name from a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, brought from Nazareth, Holy Land, to a monastery Mérida, Spain, by a monk in the 4th century. The statue was brought to its current location in 711 by another monk, Romano, accompanied by Roderic, the last Visigoth king of Portugal. After their arrival at the seaside they decided to become hermits. Romano lived and died in a small natural grotto, on top of a cliff . After his death the king buried him in the grotto. Roderic left the statue of the Black Madonna in the grotto on an altar. Sitio seen from the beach in Praia.

Nazaré is a popular seaside resorts in the Costa de Prata. The town consists of three neighbourhoods: Praia (seen here, along the beach), Sítio and Pederneira two old villages on top of a cliff. Praia and Sítio are linked by the Nazaré Funicular. The earliest settlement was in Sítio, above the beach. This provided the inhabitants with refuge against raids by Viking and, later pirates, that lasted until as late as the beginning of the 19th century. Only in the 19th century, with the end of piracy, it was possible to start occupying the Praia which is today considered the town center. According to the Legend of Nazaré, the town derives its name from a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, brought from Nazareth, Holy Land, to a monastery Mérida, Spain, by a monk in the 4th century. The statue was brought to its current location in 711 by another monk, Romano, accompanied by Roderic, the last Visigoth king of Portugal. After their arrival at the seaside they decided to become hermits. Romano lived and died in a small natural grotto, on top of a cliff . After his death the king buried him in the grotto. Roderic left the statue of the Black Madonna in the grotto on an altar.

Already in 748, the place was a palace of the Agilolfinger, dukes of Bavaria. Forty years later it became the Carolingian royal palace. King Carloman of Bavaria (aka "Karlmann"), the oldest son of Louis the German founded a collegiate church in Altoetting in 876. This church got destroyed by Hungarian troops in 917. Only the octagon of the baptistery survived the destruction. The collegiate got refounded and the church got rebuilt later. In 1489 there were reports of two healing miracles which started the pilgrimage to Altoetting, that became one of the most important pilgrimage destinations of its time. The Shrine of Our Lady of Altoetting (aka "Chapel of Grace") is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The shrine is often called the "Lourdes of Germany". The octagonal chapel in the center dates back to the 8th century. The nave was added in 1494. Some historians even date the chapel back to about 660. It was probably once part of an Agilolfingian or Carolingian structure. Inside the shrine is a "Black Madonna" (dated ~ 1330). There is a porch gallery around the building. Here more than 2000 ex-votos are nailed to the walls and ceilings.

Already in 748, the place was a palace of the Agilolfinger, dukes of Bavaria. Forty years later it became the Carolingian royal palace. King Carloman of Bavaria (aka "Karlmann"), the oldest son of Louis the German founded a collegiate church in Altoetting in 876. This church got destroyed by Hungarian troops in 917. Only the octagon of the baptistery survived the destruction. The collegiate got refounded and the church got rebuilt later. In 1489 there were reports of two healing miracles which started the pilgrimage to Altoetting, that became one of the most important pilgrimage destinations of its time. The Shrine of Our Lady of Altoetting (aka "Chapel of Grace") is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The shrine is often called the "Lourdes of Germany". The octagonal chapel in the center dates back to the 8th century. The nave was added in 1494. Some historians even date the chapel back to about 660. It was probably once part of an Agilolfingian or Carolingian structure. Inside the shrine is a "Black Madonna" (dated ~ 1330). There is a porch gallery around the building. Here more than 2000 ex-votos are nailed to the walls and ceilings. Three popes were under the many pilgrims, that entered the chapel. Pope Pius VI was in Altoetting in 1782, Pope John Paul II visited in 1980 and in 2006 Pope Benedict XVI came to Altoetting. For him this was probably not the first visit to the Shrine, as he was born under the name of Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger in Marktl, just 10kms to the east.