The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sameiro is a shrine in Espinho, in the surroundings of the city of Braga. ts construction was initiated in the 19th century, by Father Martinho da Silva, in neoclassical style. Artistically not have much interest except the silver tabernacle that we can see on the main altar and the image of the patron saint, held in Rome by the sculptor Eugénio Maccagnani and brought to the sanctuary in 1880.
Construction was begun on 14 July 1863 on the domed church of Nossa Senhora do Sameiro (Our Lady of Sameiro). The founder of the shrine was the Vicar of Braga, Padre Antonio Martinho Pereira da Silva. The sanctuary is the largest Marian devotional shrine in Portugal, second only to the Sanctuary of Fátima.
Pope Pius IX granted the decree of Canonical coronation towards the Marian image on 22 December 1876. The rite of coronation was executed on 12 June 1904 via Archbishop Giuseppe Macchi.
References:The church of the former Franciscan monastery was built probably between 1515 and 1520. It is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Old Rauma. The church stands by the small stream of Raumanjoki (Rauma river).
The exact age of the Church of the Holy Cross is unknown, but it was built to serve as the monastery church of the Rauma Franciscan Friary. The monastery had been established in the early 15th century and a wooden church was built on this location around the year 1420.
The Church of the Holy Cross served the monastery until 1538, when it was abandoned for a hundred years as the Franciscan friary was disbanded in the Swedish Reformation. The church was re-established as a Lutheran church in 1640, when the nearby Church of the Holy Trinity was destroyed by fire.
The choir of the two-aisle grey granite church features medieval murals and frescoes. The white steeple of the church was built in 1816 and has served as a landmark for seafarers.