Two of the most spiritually and culturally significant sacred spaces in the Azores have been nominated for the initiative 7 Maravilhas de Portugal, bringing renewed national attention to the religious heritage of the islands and to landscapes where devotion, history, and nature have long existed side by side.

The Diocese of Angra announced the candidacy of the Sanctuary of Caldeira de Santo Cristo in the category of Religious Tourism Heritage, seeking greater visibility for Azorean sacred sites and for a sanctuary where architectural simplicity is inseparable from the intensity of spiritual experience.

According to the diocesan portal Igreja Açores, the application emphasizes the sanctuary’s “simple architecture that respects the surrounding natural environment” as well as the site’s profound “historical and symbolic value,” deeply connected to the centuries-old tradition surrounding the miraculous image of Senhor Santo Cristo.

Legend tells that the image of Christ was discovered in the fajã by a shepherd and, each time it was removed, mysteriously returned to the same place. Over generations, that story transformed the isolated coastal plain into one of the most emblematic sites of devotion in the Azores — a place where sea, lagoon, cliff, and faith converge into a singular spiritual landscape.

Located within the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Fajã de Santo Cristo, on the island of São Jorge, the sanctuary includes a basalt-stone hermitage constructed between 1832 and 1835. Elevated to diocesan sanctuary status in 1996, it has become both a pilgrimage destination and a symbol of the intimate relationship between Azorean religious identity and the volcanic landscapes that shape island life.

Meanwhile, on the island of São Miguel, the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Paz has also entered the 7 Maravilhas de Portugal initiative through a candidacy promoted by the Municipality of Vila Franca do Campo with the support of the local ouvidoria, or parish consortium.

The candidacy was formally presented to Bishop D. Armando Esteves Domingues during his pastoral visit to the communities of São Miguel on April 24.

The Bishop of Angra also stressed the importance of improving access to the Marian sanctuary, recognizing the collective effort required to strengthen the site’s accessibility and religious tourism potential. Municipal officials expressed confidence in the candidacy, viewing it as both a spiritual and cultural investment for the municipality.

On January 1, 2025, Bishop Domingues presided over the ceremony elevating the Hermitage of Nossa Senhora da Paz to diocesan sanctuary status. Classified as a Property of Public Interest since 1991 by the Regional Government of the Azores, it became the first Marian sanctuary on São Miguel and the sixth diocesan sanctuary within the Diocese of Angra.

The sanctuary’s origins date back to 1764, although tradition suggests an earlier chapel may have existed on the site since the 16th century. According to local devotion, a shepherd discovered an image of the Virgin Mary inside a grotto on the hillside, giving rise to one of the island’s enduring centers of pilgrimage.

Today, the sanctuary is recognized for its iconic stairway of one hundred steps ascending toward the hilltop temple. Along the ascent, the terraces symbolize the Joyful and Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, transforming the physical act of climbing into a spiritual meditation overlooking the Atlantic and the southern coast of São Miguel.

The 7 Maravilhas de Portugal initiative seeks to recognize and promote some of the country’s most emblematic sites through public voting, highlighting places considered unique within the national cultural and historical landscape.

For the Azores, these two candidacies represent more than a tourism campaign. They reveal how, across the islands, sacred spaces remain inseparable from geography itself — sanctuaries carved not only into stone, but into memory, isolation, migration, devotion, and the enduring Atlantic imagination.

Translated and adapted from a story in Diário dos Açores- Paulo Viveiros, director