The history and origin of the Convento do Espinheiro is linked to a legend that tells of the apparition of an image of the Virgin on a thorn bush, around 1400. In 1412, a chapel was built in honour of Our Lady and given the growing importance of this place as a pilgrimage site, in 1458, during the reign of D. Afonso V, the church was founded and later the convent, which was populated by monks of the Order of St. Jerome.