Braga, Portugal

BRAGA is Portugal's most important religious centre, with churches by the bucket load. One of the country's most ancient towns, it was probably founded by the Bracari Celts (hence the name), later falling into Roman hands and being christened Bracara, capital of Roman Gallaecia. Its history is then one of conquest and reconquest, being occupied at various times by the Suevi, Visigoths and eventually the Moors. Braga was an important Visigothic bishopric and by the end of the eleventh century its archbishops were pressing for recognition as "Primate of the Spains", a title they disputed bitterly with archbishops of Toledo and Tarragona over the next six centuries.

The city is still Portugal's religious capital. Look around and you soon become aware of the weight of ecclesiastical power, embodied by an archbishop's palace built on a truly presidential scale. The city's outlying districts also boast a selection of important religious buildings and sanctuaries, notably Tibães and Bom Jesus, , the latter one of the country's most extravagant Baroque creations.