Sunday, 25 October 2020

SÃO BENTO DA PORTA ABERTA (BASILICA)

 


SÃO BENTO DA PORTA ABERTA BASILICA

41° 41' 26" N 8° 12' 13" W

The Basilica of St. Benedict of the Open Door (Portuguese: Basilica São Bento da Porta Aberta) is a Roman Catholic church in Rio Caldo in northern Portugal. The church, which belongs to the Archdiocese of Braga, is dedicated to Benedict of Nursia and was given the title of minor basilica in 2015. It is part of the sanctuary of the same name, which has been protected as a national monument since 2011 and from which there is a magnificent view of the Cávado Valley with the Caniçada dam.

Basilica

The church's location on the southern slope of the Rio Caldo valley goes back to a chapel, the construction of which was ordered by Aleixo de Menezes in 1614 as Archbishop of Braga to care for the local believers. The chapel was then consecrated to St. Benedict in 1615. The name São Bento da Porta Aberta comes from the fact that the door is always open for travelers.

The current church was only built at the end of the 19th century and is not very significant architecturally. Construction of the church began in 1880 at the old pilgrimage site and was completed in 1895. The bell tower, which clings to the facade, looks like the pinnacle of the sanctuary from Caniçada in the valley. Of the church's furnishings, the azulejo panels in the chancel depicting the life of St. Benedict and the gold-plated altarpiece are particularly noteworthy. The image of St. Benedict is venerated, before which pilgrims make their offerings and vows.

On March 21, 2015, on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the sanctuary, Pope Francis elevated the church to the rank of a minor basilica at the request of the Archbishop of Braga, Jorge Ortiga.

Crypt

Next to the basilica, the slightly lower but significantly larger church was built in 1994 to accommodate many pilgrims. This church, known as the Crypt, was consecrated in 1998 and completed in 2004. The ten azulejos depicting episodes from the life of St. Benedict are significant.




https://www.sbento.t/en/santuario-2/

https://www.sbento.pt/en/hp-2/
















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SÃO TORCATO (GUIMARÃES)

 


SÃO TORCATO (GUIMARÃES)
41° 29' 15" N 8° 15' 30" W

São Torcato is a Portuguese village that is home to the Parish of São Torcato in the Municipality of Guimarães, a parish with an area of ​​10.39 km² and 3345 inhabitants (2021 census), thus having a population density of 321.9 inhabitants/km².

Its patron saint is Saint Torcato, whose relics (his body preserved, according to the popular expression, incorrupt) are venerated in the Sanctuary of Saint Torcato, located in this parish.

Patrimony
Chapel of Saint Torcato or Church of the Monastery of Saint Torcato
Sanctuary of San Torcato or Basilica of San Torcato
The parish also has a Romanesque church.

Traditions
São Torcato has some traditions:

Fair of 27 (Feira dos 27)
The first festival of the year is held on February 27th (holiday in the village), generally known as the “Feira dos 27”. This festival is already an important milestone in the town’s history. Their origin is not known for certain, but it is known that they are secular celebrations. These festivities bring thousands of foreigners to Vila de São Torcato, and the program usually includes the blessing of the animals, a fair and a livestock competition.

Small Pilgrimage (Romaria Pequena)
On May 15th, the small pilgrimage takes place. This appears in a pilgrimage to the chapel where the Saint was found. After the Eucharist, a challenging song and popular dance festival takes place. It is also common for people to drink water from the saint's spring, as a cure for certain illnesses.

Big Pilgrimage (Romaria Grande)
However, one of the best-known traditions is that of holding every year, on the first Sunday in July, what was called "the biggest pilgrimage in Minho".

These festivities generally last four days (Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday). On Friday and Saturday nights, grand pyrotechnic displays can be seen, with Saturday's show lasting almost an hour and a half, during which you can observe garden crossfire, trapped fire, and cane fire.

On Sunday, at 11 am, the Solemn Eucharist takes place at the Sanctuary of São Torcato. In the afternoon (usually around 5:30 pm) you can witness the grand procession in honor of Saint Torcato, which is made up of floats, costumes, and other adornments. The floats (only two) are a unique national tradition. They are decorated with satin and carry small groups of girls who sing songs alluding to the saint.

Earth Fair (Feira da Terra)
The Earth Fair contains various craft and gastronomy exhibitions and cultural shows. This festival aims to show visitors the linen manufacturing process.

Youth Party (Festa da Juventude)
It takes place on the first weekend of September each year.










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VIEIRA DO MINHO (PORTUGAL)

 


VIEIRA DO MINHO

 41° 38' 6.1" N; 8° 8' 30.4" W

Vieira do Minho is a Portuguese village located in the sub-region of Ave, belonging to the North region and the district of Braga.
It is the seat of the Municipality of Vieira do Minho, which has a total area of 218.05 km2, 11,955 inhabitants in 2021 and a population density of 55 inhabitants per km2, subdivided into 16 parishes:

Anissó e Soutelo; Anjos e Vilar Chão; Caniçada e Soengas; Cantelães; Eira Vedra; Guilhofrei; Louredo;
Mosteiro; Parada de Bouro; Pinheiro; Rossas; Ruivães e Campos; Salamonde; Tabuaças; Ventosa e Cova; Vieira do Minho.

The municipality is limited to the north by the municipality of Terras de Bouro, to the north and east by Montalegre, to the southeast by Cabeceiras de Basto, to the south by Fafe, to the southwest by Póvoa de Lanhoso and to the northwest by Amares.
The highest point in the municipality is located in Serra da Cabreira, more precisely in Alto do Talefe, with an altitude of 1262 meters.

The antiquity of human occupation of the lands that today make up the municipality of Vieira do Minho can be attested by the numerous archaeological testimonies that can be seen in the municipality, with particular emphasis on the Serra da Cabreira area, territory occupied since prehistory and the Salamonde and Ruivães, where the military presence of different peoples, especially the Romans, attest to the strategic value of this area in controlling the main routes of penetration into the province. The mounds, menhirs, cave engravings, medieval pits, Neolithic necropolises, Roman settlements, castros, as well as various clay, iron and other metal utensils, are examples of the region's archaeological lode, which is quite underexplored.
From Roman times, there are still traces of some sections of Via XVII of the Antonino route that connected Braga, Chaves to Astorga, and traces of ancient settlements from that era, an example of which is the settlement of São Cristovão - Ruivães


Due to its extreme importance in military strategy, the region suffered the effects of the penetration of the different peoples that invaded the peninsula, from the Swabians to the Romans, and much more recently from the Napoleonic armies. In fact, in the spring of 1809, Marshal Soult's troops crossed the county twice: the first on March 15, in an impetuous advance on the way to Braga. The second, on the 17th of May, in a hasty retreat across the Misarela bridge, on the exact day that Wellesley's Anglo-Portuguese forces arrived at the top of Salamonde, with the frustrated aim of cutting them off.

This penchant for involvement in war also determined that Vieira became involved in the liberal wars, Ruivães witnessing hard fights between liberals and absolutists, and shortly afterwards, in April 1846, Vieira became enthusiastic about the popular movement of “Maria da Fonte”. where he had his origin and where his mentor lived: Father Casimiro José Vieira.
These notes are the testimony of the history of Vieira do Minho, made more of its strategic value than of the memory of men embodied in monuments and cities.








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FÃO + OFIR (ESPOSENDE)

 


FÃO

 41° 31' N; 8° 47' W

Fão is a Portuguese village in the municipality of Esposende, with an area of 5.76 km² and 3,103 inhabitants (2011). Density: 538.7 inhabitants/km².
Fão is known for its beach, Praia de Ofir.

Fão has the largest medieval necropolis in the Iberian Peninsula (Medieval Cemetery of Barreiras), demonstrating the impact of the Black Death. Still, during medieval times, Fão was a relevant salt production centre. The historic center of Fão dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries.
Its natural wealth is exuberant, thanks to the partnership of the sea with the estuary of the river Cávado, creating dunes and cliffs, pine forests, heaths and marshes, which are inhabited by countless animal and plant species. Much of the coastline of Fão is protected within the area of the Natural Park of the North Coast.
The main economic activities are agriculture, fishing, tourism and services.



OFIR BEACH
Ofir is a beach located in the parish of Fão, municipality of Esposende, District of Braga.
The name Ophir appears in the Old Testament several times, including to designate a land far from Israel where gold was collected. Ophir gold is often referred to as a separate gold, which is perhaps due to the joint expedition of King Solomon and King Hiram (Tyre, Phoenicia) which left the Red Sea and brought back 14 or 15 tons of gold from Ophir.
Thus, perhaps the Portuguese beach is related to a new Ofir discovered by the Phoenicians. A famous local legend, the "legend of the horses of Fão", even states that "the biblical Ofir" was in the place of the current Ofir.







OFIR

N 41º 31' 12,24; W 8º 47' 18,38






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