Archdiocese of Braga

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(Bracara Augusta, Civitas Bracarensis).

Braga is situated in a flat fertile tract of land between the rivers Este and Cavado, in the province of Minho, in the Kingdom ofPortugal. The name was derived from the costume worn by the ancient native inhabitants, which reached from the waist to the knee, unlike the tunics worn by the Romans; for this reason the latter called thesebragas (bracas) a barbarous costume, and those who wore them--Persians, Scythians, and the Celtic inhabitants of Gaul--barbarians. The city of Braga is very ancient as the etymology of the name implies. Some, likeSt. Isidore, believe it is derived from the GreekBrachys, short, others fromhrachos, thorn-bush; others again, like Diodorus Siculus, say that it is of Celtic origin. In the fifth book of his "Historical Library", speaking of the Gauls he says,quas bracas illi nominant. Braga, themetropolis of Galicia, was one of the principal cities of Lusitania (Portugal), until theEmperor Augustus, having brought hiswars to a close, made a new division of the provinces and united it to Hispania Tarraconensis, giving it the name ofAugusta, and making it one of the three judicial divisions into which the provinces of Galicia was divided. It was one of the first cities ofSpain to receive the light of the Gospel. The tradition that St. Peter de Rates, a disciple of St. James, preached here, is handed down in the ancientBreviary of Braga (Breviarium Bracarense) and in that ofEvora; but this, as theBollandists tell us, is purely traditional. Paternus was certainlybishop of thesee about 390.

Some have denied that Braga was ametropolitansee; others have attempted without sufficient evidence, however, to claim twometropolitan sees for Galicia before the sixth century. The real facts in the case are that after the destruction ofAstorga (433) by theVisigoths Braga was elevated to the dignity of ametropolitansee in the time ofSt. Leo I (440-461). Balconius was then itsbishop and Agrestius,Bishop ofLugo, was themetropolitan. At the latter's death the right ofmetropolitan rank was restored to the oldestbishop of the province, who was thebishop of Braga. From this time, until theMohammedans invadedSpain (711) he retained the supremacy over all thesees of the province. In 1110Pope Paschal II restored Braga to its formermetropolitan rank. WhenPortugal separated fromSpain, Braga assumed even greater importance. It contested with Toledo the primacy over all the Spanish sees, but thepopes decided in favour of the latter city. At present it has for suffragans thedioceses of Porto,Coimbra, Visco,Bragança-Miranda, Aveiro, and Pinhel. There have been many very famousbishops and writers in thisdiocese. Among its earlierbishops, besides the traditional St. Peter already mentioned, the most famous isSt. Martin of Braga who died in 580, noted for his wisdom andholiness.St. Gregory of Tours says of him (Hist.France, V, xxxvii) that he was born in Pannonia, visited the Holy Land, and became the foremost scholar of his time.St. Isidore of Seville ("De Viris illustribus", c. xxxv) tells us that he "wasabbot of themonastery of Dumio near Braga, came to Galicia from the East, converted the Suevic inhabitants from theerrors ofArianism, taught themCatholic doctrine and discipline, strengthened theirecclesiastical organization, and foundedmonasteries. He also left a number of letters in which he recommended a reform of manners, a life offaith andprayer, and giving ofalms, the constant practice of all virtues and thelove ofGod." For his writings, see Bardenhewer, "Patrologie" (2nd ed., 1901), 579-581. Braga having been destroyed by theSaracens, and restored in 1071, a succession of illustriousbishops occupied thesee. Among these were Mauricio Burdinho (1111-14), sent aslegate to theEmperor Henry V (1118), and by him createdantipope with the title ofGregory VIII; Pedro Juliano,Archdeacon ofLisbon, electedBishop of Braga in 1274, createdcardinal byGregory X in 1276, and finally electedpope under the name ofJohn XXI; Blessed Bartholomew a Martyribus (1559-67), aDominican, who in 1566, together with Father Luis de Sotomayor, Francisco Foreiro, and others, assisted at theCouncil of Trent; the Agustín de Castro, an Augustinian (1589-1609), whoconsecrated thecathedral, 28 July 1592. Alejo de Meneses, also an Augustinian, was transferred to Braga from thearchiepiscopal see of Goa. He had been an apostle to theNestorians of the Malabar Coast in FartherIndia and had converted them toCatholicism with the help of missionaries of the variousreligious orders. Under him was held the Council of Diamper (1599), for the establishment of theChurch on the Malabar Coast. He died atMadrid in 1617 in his fifty-eighth year. in the odour ofsanctity, being then President of the Council of Castile. Three otherbishops of note were Roderico de Cunha (1627-35), historian of theChurch inPortugal; Roderico de Moura (1704-28), who restored thecathedral, and Cayetano Brandão, who was reputed a saint among thefaithful.

In its early period the Diocese of Braga produced the famous writer Paulus Orosius (fi.418) also Avitus of Braga. At the beginning of the eighteenth century a contest was waged over the birthplace of Orosius, some claiming him for Braga and others for Tarragona. The Marquis of Mondejar, with all the evidence in his favour, supported the claim of Braga; Dalmas, the chronicler ofCatalonia, that ofTarragona. Avitus of Braga, another writer of some importance, was apriest who went to the East to consult withSt. Augustine at the same time that Orosius, who had been sent bySt. Augustine, returned from consultingSt. Jerome. It was through him that thepriest, Lucian of Caphar Gamala nearJerusalem, made known to the West the discovery of the body of St. Stephen (December, 415). The Greek encyclical letter of Lucian was translated into Latin by Avitus and sent to Braga with another for thebishop, Balconius, hisclergy, and people, together with arelic of St. Stephen. Avitus also attended the Council ofJerusalem againstPelagius (415). There were two others of the same name, men of note, who, however, wrought incalculable harm by introducing into these provinces the doctrines ofOrigen and Victorinus.

In 1390 Braga was divided to make the Archdiocese ofLisbon, and in 1540 its territory was again divided to create theArchdiocese of Evora. There are some fine edifices in thediocese, among them theCathedral of the Assumption, very large and architecturally perfect; thearchbishop's palace; theseminary, and the Institute of Charity. The sanctuary ofdo Senhor Jesus do Monte is the object of great devotion to which manypilgrimages are made every year.

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