Braga inaugurated yesterday, October 19, the sculpture Ascensão (Ascension), a creation by the artist Mário Martins offered by the association Amigos do Convento (Friends of the Convent). The piece was installed next to the Convent of São Francisco de Real, on land from the former enclosure used by pilgrims, and is part of the project “Baluartes do Caminho” (Bastions of the Camino). The monument seeks to reinforce the symbolic character of Montélios, a place historically linked to the emergence of the Jacobean cult in the Braga region.
The ceremony coincided with the feast day of Saint Frutuoso, the city’s patron saint, and brought together the Mayor of Braga, Ricardo Rio, Councillor Olga Pereira and the Secretary of State for Culture, Alberto Santos. The official speeches underlined the artistic and spiritual value of the work and its relevance to the cultural heritage of Real and of the entire municipality.
According to Amigos do Convento, the name Ascensão directly evokes the Camino de Santiago and expresses the intention of dignifying, through art, the bond between Montélios and the Jacobean tradition, while also paying tribute to Saint Frutuoso. The Mayor highlighted that this new landmark “enriches the artistic and cultural heritage of Braga” and strengthens “the appreciation and promotion of the Caminos de Santiago”, further recognising the religious, touristic and economic importance of this route for the municipality.
With the installation of this sculpture, Braga gains a new point of reference for pilgrims and visitors, consolidating its role as a place of passage and memory on the Camino de Santiago.
