Nazaré

Last night I took a stroll up to the Roman Temple in Évora. Soft floodlights lit up the Corinthian columns and their capitals (the embellished crown at the top of the columns). It was absolutely magic to gaze up at this Roman forum which heralded Caesar some 2,000 years ago. Nazaré was, and still is, a Portuguese fishing village on the Atlantic coast. However the fishing boats have moved further south along the beach front to their new harbour and the town is now primarily a beach resort,  but on the sand there are still a few colourful traditional fishing boats with their high, tapered prows to cut through the surf. It was very pleasant to stroll along the promenade. The beach has rows of beach tents, which you can hire for the day for 6 euros and there is a section where Portuguese ladies, dressed in black, sun-dry their mackerel and sardines on racks ready for the market. At the northern end of the beach there is a funicular, which takes one up to Sitio, the hill top capping the old part of town. The funicular was originally built in 1889 by Eiffel but today has a very modern trolley and it was fun being hauled up the steep track backwards giving a wonderful view of the beach and town. Sitio is steeped in history and I made my way to its main square and promontory. The 16th century Church of Our Lady of Nazaré, the town's main church, is located on the square and has a remarkable story. In the 7th century two fishermen brought the Black Madonna, a small ebony statue of Mary, here from Nazareth (where the town's name, Nazaré, springs from). During the occupation and rule by the Muslim Moors the Madonna was hidden in nearby rocks and was rediscovered during the Christian Reconquista in the 12th century, when interest in the relic led to the establishment of Nazaré. Today the Black Madonna stands on the High Altar of this beautiful church with its gilded Baroque Neoclassical interior and each year the faithful along with visiting pilgrims venerate her in a procession. Also on the square is a viewing area known as the Belvedere,  from where one can get a panoramic vista of the town and the beach. Next to it is a tiny chapel with steps leading down to a small cave, where the Black Madonna lay hidden for400 years waiting for the Moors to depart and the Christians to return. Tomorrow I'm off to explore some towns in the vicinity of Nazaré which are of particular historic interest.