Church of Lapa - Braga

In 1757, Father Ângelo de Sequeira, canon of the Cathedral of São Paulo (Brazil), preached in Braga. He chose the Arcada, the place where food was sold in the city, as his location and placed there a statue of Our Lady of Lapa . There he preached, prayed the rosary and sang, with such enthusiasm that he infected the people. Given the power that the devotion acquired, the then Archbishop of Braga, Gaspar de Bragança, authorized the construction of a chapel.

Work began on 9 September 1761, with the design attributed to André Soares. The church was consecrated on 7 September 1767. Two years later , the chapel of Saint Anne, which stood opposite, was demolished. The sunken bell tower was not built until 1771, on top of one of the turrets of the old enclosure of the town's castle.

The 19th century church has a neoclassical style, with a bell tower next to it.

Inside, the church is notable for its 19th-century tiled cladding , the high choir with a carved profile and wooden balustrade, and the organ.

Willem Vandenameele