The name derives from the ancient ritual of keeping an oil candelabrum with a perpetual flame beside the Saint’s body. On 1 March 1694, the deed recording the Confraternity’s election was approved.
In 1805, Archbishop Frei Caetano Brandão decided that the Body of the Glorious Martyr should be displayed for the visit and veneration of the faithful, increasing the devotion and pilgrimages to his tomb, located in the chapel of the Monastery church (now the Old Church). As a result of the fervent devotion to the Saint and the exponential growth in the number of Brothers, that same year the Confraternity, with its own Statutes, came to be designated the Brotherhood of São Torcato.

It was necessary to adapt the Brotherhood’s Statutes to the times and circumstances, and so they were reformed by King John VI in 1806 and have been periodically reviewed in line with current realities. With the development of the cult and pilgrimages to São Torcato, the need was recognised to build a larger Sanctuary in a more accessible place; thus, construction began in 1825 at a site known as “Penedos de Maria do Monte Maio.”

In 1852, the Saint’s Body was translated to the Main Chapel of the Sanctuary. The temple - of a hybrid style with classical, Gothic, Renaissance and Romanesque elements - was built entirely in ashlar granite stone from this region, designed initially by the Portuguese architect António Marques da Silva and, subsequently, by the German architect.

More recently, Pope Francis elevated the Sanctuary to the dignity of a Basilica. The official ceremony of elevation to Basilica took place on 27 February, henceforth officially designated as the Day of São Torcato. Today, the Brotherhood of São Torcato remains determined and active in fulfilling its mission: to value and safeguard its historical legacy, promote the cult and veneration of the Saint, enhance both tangible and intangible heritage, and, at the same time, project the future with new projects and ambitions.