The bishopric of the Bracara Augusta was founded in 388 by Paternus, its first bishop in which it was the parish of San Jose de San Lorenzo and San Juan de Souto. In 1071 it was declared an archdiocese and in 1112 the counts Henrique and Teresa donated the city to the archbishop, thus creating the first ecclesiastical fief of Braga that lasted until the 18th century.
The construction of the Episcopal Palace began in the 14th century, and was extended during the 17th and 18th centuries. The result of the extensions was that the three buildings that make up the complex exhibit different characteristics according to the time when each extension was made. All the buildings and facilities of the Episcopal Palace are connected.
The original medieval structure, is rectangular with its garden, today located in front of the Garden of Santa Barbara (XVII century), which is not part of the Palace. The ruins that we observe and that separate it from the Garden of Santa Bárbara, are part of what was left of the original structure, destroyed by a fire.
The south wing is composed of the Palace Square, the Chafariz or Fountain of Castles (1723) and various buildings that revolve around the square.
To the west and facing the Republic Square and the City Hall, there is the construction of the Baroque style palace where today we can find the Library and Archives of the district.
