The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Porto d'Ave is located in the parish of Taíde, in the municipality of Póvoa de Lanhoso. It is a religious complex that, apart from the church, includes a museum of sacred art, a Way of the Cross with several chapels and some buildings originally dedicated to supporting pilgrims.

Originally it began to function as a small oratory, built in 1730, and later surrounded by a first chapel built in 1734 and a second chapel, Santa Ana, built in 1865.

Thanks to the growing number of believers in the "Lady of Miracles", the construction of the complex began, with a staircase similar to the one in the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Braga. By the royal letter of April 14, 1874, the sanctuary was elevated to Royal Sanctuary, becoming to this day one of the most important marian shrines in Portugal.

Inside the complex there is the Museum of Popular Sacred Art, which has a vast collection of ex votos (painted picturers) from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which also demonstrates the faith that the local population has for the "Lady of Miracles" . These pictures are characterized by representing a grace received in a moment of anguish, having in common the image of the saint and a title that describes the miracle happened.

This collection of ex votos is the second largest in Portugal, only surpassed by the collection of the Hermitage of Our Lady of Monte do Carmo, near Azaruja, Alentejo.