Saint Peter and Paul Council Seminary - Braga

The Seminario Conciliar de São Pedro e São Paulo (also known as the Seminario Conciliar de Santiago because it is located opposite Campo de Santiago in Braga) is an institute for the religious formation of future priests of the Archdiocese of Braga.

It is housed in the building formerly known as St. Paul's College (which belonged to the Society of Jesus until its exile), of which St. Paul's Church is an integral part. The eastern wing of the building also houses the Pius XII Museum.

The Conciliar Seminary of Braga was founded by Bishop Bartolomeu dos Mártires, following the reforms introduced by the Council of Trent (of which Bartolomeu was one of the most prominent participants). It took up residence in a building on the southern side of Campo da Vinha in 1571, with St. Peter as its patron saint. It was the first seminary in the Iberian Peninsula.

In 1881 it moved to the former Jesuit college (its current location) and was renamed the Seminary of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. After the vicissitudes of the First Republic, it began operating in 1934 in a new building in Rua de Santa Margarida (where today the Faculty of Theology of Braga and the Interdiocesan Seminary of Saint Joseph are located). At the turn of the millennium the school returned to Largo de Santiago.

The seminary houses the Tree of Life Chapel, winner of the 2011 ArchDaily Award for best religious building.

It was designed by Cerejeira Fontes Arquitetos in collaboration with the sculptor Asbjörn Andresen. The chapel's props were the work of painter Ilda David and some craftsmen from Barcelos. The chapel was born from the need to create an alternative space for the seminarians to celebrate the Eucharist.

Willem Vandenameele