Sunday, September 25, 2011

The Church in the Forest

Hidden deep in a forest in the mountains, there is a beautiful sanctuary that draws thousands upon thousands of vistors from all over the world. It is called Bom Jesus do Monte. It is quite the drive to get there from my parents' house, but it is so well worth it!
You can easily spend several hours here, visiting the church, and walking down the steps that have the stations of the cross.
There is also a water generated elevator that brings you from the bottom to the top of the mountain in 3 minutes. It was built in the early 1800's and it is really interesting to see how it functions.
There are beautiful gardens and a hidden lake in the forest, way up high into the mountain.
The view is amazing up there, and it is so peaceful!
But of course, the highlight for our children was the fact that inside the church was the preserved remains of a woman. At this moment, who she was is a mystery to me so I will have to research it when we return home the the States. But my kids were thrilled at the fact that they were able to see an actual dead person- so strange...
Can you see her there, in that box above? I thought it was pretty gross, but oh well- we don't have those sorts of things in the U.S. so we might as well enjoy it, right?

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