Santuário do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres

Ponta Delgada’s sanctuary of the Holy Christ of Miracles, at the heart of the island’s greatest devotion.

The sanctuary of Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres

Beside the old convent of Esperança, in the centre of Ponta Delgada, the Santuário do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres is the most beloved shrine of the Azores. Here is kept the image of the Holy Christ of Miracles, the focus of a devotion that fills the city with pilgrims every spring.

History and character

The image, a Flemish-style sculpture of the sixteenth century, was kept by the nuns of the convent of Esperança, and the devotion grew around it through the centuries, believed to work miracles and invoked by the islanders in times of need. The church and convent form one of the great ensembles of the city.

What to see

The image of the Holy Christ, on its altar in the sanctuary.
The church interior, with its gilded carving and azulejos.
The old convent of Esperança, adjoining the church.
The streets of Ponta Delgada, decorated for the festival in the Easter season.

Visiting

The sanctuary is in the centre of Ponta Delgada, on São Miguel, reached on foot from the city’s squares. It remains an active place of worship: visits are welcome outside the hours of Mass, and access may be limited during celebrations — above all during the great festival of the Senhor Santo Cristo, celebrated in the weeks after Easter.