São Bento da Porta Aberta

São Bento da Porta Aberta stands on a slope in the Gerês above the Caniçada reservoir on the Cávado, and by attendance it is the second largest Marian - strictly, Benedictine - sanctuary in Portugal after Fátima, drawing hundreds of thousands each year, with the main pilgrimage in mid-August. The name, St Benedict of the Open Door, comes from a tradition that the chapel's door was always left open for travellers and shepherds crossing the mountain. The present basilica is twentieth-century and large, with a wide esplanade, alongside older chapels, a stairway, and stalls selling religious goods and the local smoked meats. Pope Francis raised it to a minor basilica in 2015. Around it Peneda-Gerês opens up: the reservoir below, oak woods, and the roads towards Gerês village and the Roman road through the park.

What you actually see

• The basilica - a large twentieth-century church raised to minor basilica status in 2015.
• The esplanade - the open ground where pilgrim crowds assemble.
• The open door tradition - the chapel left unlocked for travellers, giving the name.
• The setting - the Caniçada reservoir and Gerês oak woods below.

When to go

April to October. One to two hours outside pilgrimage days. Mid-August brings the main pilgrimage, when the roads and site are overwhelmed.

Honest expectations

This is a working devotional site, not a monument - the twentieth-century basilica is plain by architectural standards. During the August pilgrimage the mountain roads jam completely. Stalls selling religious goods are numerous. Parking is limited.

Nearby

Gerês village and its spa are north; the Caniçada reservoir is below.