Top of the World
The Jardim de Santa Bárbara is a distinctive public garden with bright colors emanating from its well tended-flowers. This is the ideal refuge for anyone looking for a quiet space, perfect for reading a book or sharing love pledges. The fact that it is located in the city center and interrupts the sequence of cement and brick buildings makes it a special place. It is a kind of refuge or city oasis that invites us to take a break, read a good book, or share a meal with friends. At the bottom of the garden, a high stone wall trimmed by battlements is reminiscent of a castle. This facade is part of the Medieval Palace of Braga and was erected in the late Middle Ages by initiative of Archbishops Gonçalo de Pereira and Fernando da Guerra. It currently functions as Braga District Archive and is part of a larger complex called the Paço Episcopal de Braga. In the middle of the garden, there is a statue of Saint Barbara on a seventeenth-century fountain, which turns this garden into one of the most beautiful places in Braga. According to catholic tradition, Santa Barbara was punished by her own father, who did not like that his daughter had professed the Christian religion. After having her tortured in an attempt to reconvert her, he cut her throat with his bare hands. Another curious aspect is the fact that this garden is chosen by many of Braga's teenagers to declare their promises of love. Probably few will know this story. And it matters little. As long as this place continues to be chosen for the exchange of promises of love. Santa Barbara would be happy.
