Dumio Monastery

Braga, Portugal

The Monastery of Dumio (São Martinho de Dume), is a former paleo-Christian monastery in the civil parish of Dume, municipality of Braga, in northwestern Portugal. Originally a Roman villa, it was the base of a basilica by Suebi tribes, and later Christian monastery headed by Martin of Braga in the 6th century (c. 550–560). The re-discovery of the Roman ruins in the late 20th century resulted in archaeological excavations that unearthed its former use.

The ruins are located around the Lugar da Igreja or Lugar do Assento on the square occupied by the parochial church of Dume. Occupying a rural landscape, the space is an ample property that include the Church of São Martinho de Dume, constituted by a central nucleus of the courtyard, the chapel of Nossa Senhora do Rosário and backyard of the Casa do Assento, on the same block occupied by the local cemetery.

The archaeological ruins in Dume encompass a complex of structures that include: a grande Roman villa (with a habitational zone) and bathhouse; remnants of a granite basilica in the form of a Latin cross (oriented east to west); with regularly horizontal aligned deposits in mortar, pavement and polychromatic mosaics; and a necropolis consisting of twelve graves, located in an area defined by granite slabs and/or brick coverage. These individual spaces were occupied successively over a 2000-year period.

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Details

Founded: 550-560 AD
Category: Religious sites in Portugal

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Maria C (14 months ago)
My fav place in Braga, love the gardens the exhibitions and the monastery church !
Gintare Skukauskaite (14 months ago)
Worth the visit, not many tourists and very interesting and beautiful place, take a walk in the garden, very beautiful.
Claudine (15 months ago)
Beautiful historical buildings and landscapes with vineyards, corn patches, gardens, lake and forest. Due for restoration soon but that takes nothing away from the history that's been so well maintained.
Febriana (22 months ago)
Absolutely amazed by how beautiful this place is! The lady at the reception spoke very good English in case you're still learning Portuguese and not able to speak very well. They also handed out maps to both inside the monastery and the garden at the back of the monastery - which was huge, it looks more like a forest than a garden. The garden includes some stairs similar to what they have in Bom Jesus with a lake. There are also two routes that you can choose: short (45 minutes to complete) or long (90 minutes to complete). I chose the long route but it was doable in an hour or so. The church itself was pretty well kept with numbers on the floor that correspond with the explanation included on the map. We could also explore other areas of the monastery such as Sacristy, living room, painting rooms, little gardens, bedrooms, kitchens and even the toilets. Are all kept cleaned and renovated. Getting from Braga to here is also fairly easy. You can take an Uber, drive or take a bus. It's definitely a must visit place in Braga - Real for many reasons!
Kezia Victoria (5 years ago)
Definitely the most beautiful Monastery I've been to (and I've been to a few). Definitely worth doing thw listening tour, was very informative and there was always something available to listen to. In total took about 3hours for us to tour the entire grounds, but it definitely worth it. The safe was so friendly and nice, and the atmosphere was amazing and beautiful as it was rich with so much history... Do ensure that you visit the beautiful lake on the grounds before leaving. Definitely a must see when in Portugal.
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