Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Costa de Prata

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.