Along the Atlantic coast, in Portugal’s central region, lies the town of Nazaré – literally, Nazareth. It sprawls over a clifftop and a beach below the cliffs and is a popular summer destination along the Silver Coast. But why does it share a name with an important biblical town?
In the 12th century, a nobleman was out hunting in the area. Disoriented by a sudden fog that rose from the sea, he realised that he was near the cliffs and called out to Our Lady in prayer to help him. His horse miraculously stopped, preventing them from hurtling to their death over the 100-metre high cliffs.
The nobleman stopped to pray besides a nearby grotto where a statue of Our Lady was venerated. He decided to build a chapel to commemorate this miracle and to make it easier for this statue to be venerated. As the chapel was built, masons found an ivory chest containing parchments which detailed the provenance of the statue.
The parchment stated that the statue was venerated in Nazareth, Palestine. It had been brought to Iberia by monks in the 8th century and was later moved to the Atlantic coast. It remained there, untouched, until these masons came along.
The town became known as Nazaré because of this. The church you see today is the result of several reconstructions to the original building. You can enter the building and see the statue up front. It is stored in a small niche above the altar, accessible by a staircase from the sacristy.
Legend has it that St Joseph himself sculpted this statue and that St Luke painted it at a later stage.
Personally, I am sceptical about this part of the legend; there is no way of proving or disproving it.
What is fascinating is that the statue is another Black Madonna.
I’ve written elsewhere about the significance of this and conclude that:
- If statues of the Black Madonna are a relic of some previous cult or religion then it is likely that this one originated in Palestine.
- Considering the skin tone of people from that region, it is logical to represent the Madonna with darker skin.
Either way, I would suggest that this part of the story is true. For the rest, who knows?