By the 15th century, Bragança had expanded west along the banks of the River
Fervença. The Jewish quarter in Rua dos Fornos survives from this era, when
Jews from North Africa and Spain settled here and founded the silk
industry.

Despite its royal links, the town never overcame its isolation, the Bragança
monarchs preferring Vila
Viçosa. Only now are the investments of returning emigrants and
the completion of the Oporto-Spain motorway reviving trade. A new cathedral
“for the millennium” was inaugurated in 1996, another indicator of the
city’s rebirth. Near the modest old cathedral in the town centre is a lively
covered market where delicacies such as smoked hams and alheiras  (chicken sausages) are sold.

The Abbot of Baçal (1865–1947) was a prodigious scholar whose definitive
researches into the region’s history and customs, including its Jewish
connections, were published in 11 volumes. Bragança’s museum is named after
him.

Highlights among the paintings are The Martyrdom of St
Ignatius , an unsigned triptych of the 16th century, and
watercolours by Aurélia de Sousa (1865–1922), including A
Sombra  (In the Shade). In another section are colourful pauliteiros  costumes and instruments of torture. In the
garden are a variety of archaeological discoveries including porcas  and tablets with Luso-Roman inscriptions.

Founded in 1590 by Bishop António Pinheiro, São Bento has two startlingly
contrasting ceilings: a splendid canopy of Moorish-influenced geometric
carving in the chancel, and a richly coloured 18th-century trompe l’oeil
over the nave.

The secret wedding between Inês de Castro and Dom Pedro is reputed to have
taken place here in 1354. The original 13th-century church was reconstructed
in the 17th century with the addition of a great deal of sumptuous giltwork.
The azulejo  panel to the right of the main door depicts
General Sepúlveda exhorting the citizens of Bragança to free themselves from
French occupation in 1809.