Arco da Porta Nova

This arch without a door was opened in the city walls because there were no more heated wars in Portugal.

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The entrance to the city for many kings and archbishops, the Arco da Porta Nova was opened in the wall surrounding Braga at the beginning of the 16th century on the initiative of the then Archbishop D. Diogo Sousa. Diogo de Sousa, based on a concept that was considered innovative for the time: as there were no more heated wars, it was thought that there would be no need for a door in the Arco da Porta Nova.

It is on this Arch that one of the city's greatest allegories is based, observed as a kind of welcome to all who visit Braga; one of the most used and heard popular expressions in the country: "Are you from Braga?" (rhetorical question addressed to those who are in the habit of leaving the door open).