While an anticlerical struggle raged through the country of Portugal

An initiative of the Mary of Nazareth Association December 4 – The Immaculate Virgin of Sameiro (Portugal) While an anticlerical struggle raged through the country Our Lady of Sameiro The Shrine of the Immaculate Conception was built in the 19th century on Mount Sameiro, near the city of Braga, in northern Portugal. It is the largest center of Marian devotion in Portugal, after Fatima. The people erected this shrine to Our Lady in 1863, during a fierce anticlerical surge. It was raised to the status of a basilica and quickly became one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Portugal. In 2004, many national ceremonies to mark the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception took place at the Shrine of Our Lady Sameiro, and for this occasion, on December 8th, the shrine received the gift of a "Golden Rose" by Pope Saint John Paul II. www.mariedenazareth.com Wikipedia Images www.mariedenazareth.com Our Lady of Sameiro image on the altar. Let’s pray together Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.