History of the Shrine

A Very Special Place

Someone once said: "We are born for beauty."

"Beauty" feeds our soul. In a world increasingly flooded with ugly things and full of "noise", we all need to stop for a while; to find moments of contemplation, inner peace and tranquillity, where the "Beautiful" can flood our interior.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Miracles is a beautiful and unique place, where each one of us, believer or non-believer, can find something essential for our balance. For the believer, it can be having a moment of prayer and encounter with God, guided by the hand of the Mother of Jesus. For the non-believer, it can be finding oneself within; stop for a while and enjoy a moment of tranquillity and peace. Here it is possible to have a moment of silence, during which we can pray, make a reflection or simply try to feel what is going on inside us.

History of the Shrine

Although the building that exists today presumably dates back to the 17th century, the origin of this chapel dates back to the 16th century. The legend says that, in the year 1578, a shepherdess walked through these fields, guarding her small flock of sheep. It would be a summer day and it was very hot. Under the blazing sun, the child felt distressed, very thirsty, and began to cry because she could not find any water to drink. It was then that Our Lady appeared to her, and with her hands dug a hole from which pure, crystal-clear water flowed for the child to drink and quench her thirst. The Virgin then told the little shepherdess to go and tell her parents what had happened and asked that a chapel be built there in her honor. The people, full of faith and grateful for the miracle, built the chapel on top of the hill near the fountain and dedicated it to "Our Lady of Miracles". 

The Shrine, which at that time was also known as " Our Lady of the Holy Spring" or "Holy Water", quickly became a place of great devotion, receiving countless pilgrims from all over the surrounding region and even some coming from Lisbon. 

During the 17th and 18th centuries the building was improved, particularly through new paintings and tiles. Also in 1720, an adjoining house was built, intended to accommodate pilgrims coming from Lisbon.

Theft of the Religious Artworks

The Shrine is located in a relatively isolated location and unfortunately, in 2009, it was robbed several times, being stolen every valuable pieces that existed. The old image of Our Lady of Miracles disappeared, as did several other images of saints. Also, valuable ex-votos and even the modest bronze bell was stolen. One of the images was meanwhile recovered by the police in 2023, but the image of Our Lady that now exists in the humble altarpiece of the chancel is a modern replica of the ancient image, which remains missing. Nowadays, the site already has an intrusion alarm system installation.

Festivities

In addition to some occasional weddings and other celebrations, there are nowadays two major annual festivities on the Shrine. On Ascension Thursday, a procession is held along the paths around the Shrine, during which is carried out the traditional blessing of the fields, followed by the celebration of a Mass. And on the penultimate Sunday of August, a large lunch is organised, followed by Mass and a procession, to raise funds for the conservation and maintenance of the building. These events, as well as other activities, are usually publicised through the Facebook pages of the Parish of Dois Portos and the Shrine. They are also usually announced on the newspaper Badaladas of Torres Vedras.

But... Who is "Our Lady"?

"Our Lady", "Virgin Mary" or simply "Mary" was the woman who gave birth to Jesus Christ, around two thousand years ago in Bethlehem, Palestine. The evangelist St. Luke describes that, while Mary was still a maiden, an Angel appeared to her and told her that she would be a mother by the grace of God. Faced with Mary's perfectly natural objection: “I know no man,” the Angel adds: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born of you will be called the Son of God." And after also announcing the birth of John the Baptist from an old father and a sterile mother, the Angel concludes: “For nothing will be impossible for God.”

Mary is present at the beginning of Jesus' public life, when He performs His first miracle at the wedding at Cana. The words that Mary says to the servants are the same ones that she continues to say to each of us today: “Do whatever He tells you.”

When Jesus is nailed to the Cross, Mary is also present. From the top of the cross, Jesus looks at his Mother and, referring to the Apostle John who is also there, says these words: “Behold your son”. Then, addressing John, he adds: “Behold your mother.” And the text concludes: “And from that hour John took Mary into his home.” (St. John, chap. 19, 26). At that moment Mary is given as the Mother of us all. A Mother who lovingly desires to bring her Son Jesus to the heart of every human being, to the heart of each one of us.

Faith

For each and every one of us, the journey of Faith is a very personal and unique path. We might not believe at all in that entity we call "God", believe a little bit, or have a big and deep faith. This is an amateur site, not an official webpage of Catholic Church, but the author would like to share some of his personal view and thoughts about Faith and the existence of God. It does not necessarily reflect the official point of view of the Catholic Church, but if you would like to read it, you can follow this link.