Marco de Canaveses is a Portuguese city located in the Tâmega e Sousa
sub-region, belonging to the Norte region and the district of Porto.
It is the seat of the Municipality of Marco de Canaveses, which has a total
area of 201.89 km2, 49,546 inhabitants in 2021 and a population density of
265 inhabitants per km2, subdivided into 15 parishes. The municipality is
limited to the north by the municipality of Amarante, to the east by Baião,
to the south by Cinfães, to the southwest by Castelo de Paiva and to the
west by Penafiel.
Born on an unstable terrain, the city has the
Tâmega River at its feet and as its main gateway, having been served by the
A4 motorway and has an established rail connection to the Douro Line through
the Marco de Canaveses, Livração and Juncal stations. Marco de Canaveses is
the terminus of one of Porto's suburban train lines, operated by the state
railway, Comboios de Portugal.
Marco de Canaveses is the birthplace
of illustrious figures, who projected the name of this land across borders,
highlighting in the artistic panorama the figure of Carmen Miranda, in the
business sector Belmiro de Azevedo, in the world of science, the historian
Aníbal Barreira and the pharmacist Ângelo da Cunha Pinto and in the
religious field the current titular bishop of Lamego D. António Couto, born
in the parish of Vila Boa do Bispo.
The toponym "Marco de Canaveses" is composed of two elements. For the
first, "Marco", two main possibilities are presented: a border landmark
that separated the old parishes of Fornos, S. Nicolau and Tuías or a
landmark/portal that facilitated the rider's dismounting of his horse
and which would be located very close of the current Praça Movimento da
Forças Armadas, parish of Marco. The second element, "Canaveses", plural
of canavês, designates the hemp fields, once abundant in this region,
particularly on the slopes of the Tâmega River.
An alternative
explanation is based on a legend in which Queen D. Mafalfa, while
observing the reconstruction of the bridge over the Tâmega river (meters
from the current bridge that connects the parishes of Marco and
Sobretâmega) was thirsty and asked a man for water. mason who would have
given her a reed so that the queen could drink directly from the river.
With that, D. Mafalda would have told him "Keep it because sugar cane is
good sometimes".
The settlement of the territory that corresponds to the current
municipality of Marco de Canaveses dates back to very remote times, with
important remains from the Neolithic period being found, namely some
funerary monuments.
Later, in what is the current parish of Marco
(more particularly, in the parish of Freixo, before the administrative
reorganization of 2013), an important Roman city was established with
the name of Tongóbriga (in Latin: Tongobriga). Tongóbriga had its heyday
in the 1st century and early 2nd century and was a place where several
communication routes passed, namely a Roman road that connected Braga to
Mérida. The historical importance of the place was only discovered in
1980, when the land was used as agricultural land, and excavations began
immediately. Currently and after the excavations, it is possible to see
residential areas, necropolises, a forum, a theater and the thermal
baths building, and much of what would have been the ancient Roman city
is still buried under the current village of Freixo. The Freixo
Archaeological Station and its ruins are open to the public, as is the
museum, where various artifacts collected during excavation work are on
display. The Professional School of Archeology is also operating there.
There would have been a Roman bridge on the banks of the Tâmega
River, very close to the current bridge that connects the parishes of
Sobretâmega and Marco. Near this bridge there were thermal waters (which
later gave rise to Caldas de Canaveses) that were used by the Romans and
where several traces of their presence were found. Later, in the 12th
century, D. Mafalda, the first queen of Portugal, ordered the old Roman
bridge to be rebuilt, having been completed during the reign of D.
Dinis. Nearby, on the current Rua de S. Nicolau, he built his Royal
Palace where he lived while directing the construction of the bridge, a
hostel, a chapel and a leper hospital. The first King of Portugal, D.
Afonso Henriques, would also have spent time in Canaveses during visits
to his wife. The Royal Palace, the hostel and the chapel still exist
today, however, they have undergone several changes over the years. The
leper hospital disappeared during the construction of the national stay
and the bridge was dismantled to build a new one in 1944, better suited
for car traffic. The latter was partially submerged in 1988, after the
construction of the Torrão Dam and was consequently destroyed, with the
current bridge being built upstream of the old ones. This place, in
territory on both banks of the river, was called Canaveses and was
elevated to the status of beetria (designation of a locality that
enjoyed the right to elect all its magistrates) by D. Mafalda's will.
Later, Blessed Mafalda of Portugal, D. Sancho I and, therefore, D.
Mafalda's granddaughter also lived for some time in the Royal Palace
built by her grandmother in S. Nicolau. This village of Canaveses was
one of the great driving elements for the importance that, several
hundred years later, the city of Marco de Canaveses still occupies.
Therefore, the story of Marco de Canaveses is closely linked with the
history of the small village of Canaveses.
From this period,
several examples of Romanesque architecture survive to this day.
Examples of this architecture in the municipality are: the Church of São
Martinho de Soalhães, the Arco bridge (in Folhada, over the Ovelha
river), the Monastery of Santa Maria de Vila Boa do Bispo, the Church of
Santa Maria de Sobretâmega, the Church of São Nicolau de Canaveses, the
Church of the Salvador of Tabuado, among other buildings that can still
be visited today.
During the 14th century, the two passionate
lovers D. Pedro and D. Inês de Castro also walked through the lands of
Canaveses, before she was murdered at the behest of the father of the
then infant D. Pedro, King D. Afonso IV. It was also in Canaveses, more
precisely on Rua Direita de Sobretâmega that D.Pedro camped with his
army during the fight against his father. The peace between them ended
up being signed with the mediation of D. Gonçalo Pereira, archbishop of
Braga, who was going back and forth from Porto to Guimarães and
Canaveses, where D. Pedro was.
In the centuries that followed,
the territory that currently corresponds to the municipality of Marco de
Canaveses was home to several nobility families who left us several
manors and mansions. The Casa dos Arcos (built in the 17th century), the
Church of the Monastery of Alpendurada (built in the 18th century) and
the unfinished Obras do Fidalgo (baroque style, built between 1740 and
1760) are examples of monuments in Marco de Canaveses.
In 1809,
with the beginning of the second French invasion, led by Marshal Soult,
news spread that French troops were close to Canaveses and, therefore,
for fear of the violence that was already associated with the invaders,
it was decided to cut the Canaveses bridge. (the one that had been built
by D. Mafalda) and demolish part of it, preventing the French from
crossing the river. In fact, this decision became effective, having
successfully prevented the entry of invading troops into Canaveses.
However, the passage to the other bank was made later by Amarante,
allowing Soult to cross the river, but for a short time. Of the defense
of the Canaveses bridge against the invaders, here is this account from
a French soldier:
"General Caulaincourt, who commanded us,
intended to take Canaveses in order not to leave enemies between him and
Porto. He formed a detachment of 500 horses and we marched towards
Canaveses; we did not find anyone until our arrival at a height that
dominates the town: there At some distance we saw bands of 15 to 20
civilians who seemed to be waiting for nothing but the signal to attack
us and accuse us of their country's misfortune: they followed our
movements from afar and stopped when we stood up (…) After two hours of
intense combat. vivo (sic) in which we had 80 men wounded all in front,
the detachment returned to the heights where we fought with the
inhabitants who had attacked us from all sides, since the fight had
broken out over the bridge of the land or falling from the clouds. , as
long as we move away a little."
It is important to remember that, at that time, Marco de Canaveses
did not yet exist as a municipality. Throughout history, the current
territory was divided into five municipalities — Benviver, Soalhães,
Canaveses, Riba Tâmega and Portocarreiro —, six coutos — Alpendurada,
Tabuado, Entre os Rios, Tuías, Vila Boa do Bispo and Vila Boa de Quires
— and a beetria — Canaveses.
In 1836, Vila de Canaveses and the
municipality of Tuías joined the municipality of Soalhães, forming the
municipality of Marco de Soalhães, administered by Adriano José de
Carvalho e Melo (who was also Police Commissioner in Porto and Civil
Governor of the District of Porto). Bragança). In 1852, with the union
of the municipalities of Benviver and Marco de Soalhães, the current
municipality of Marco de Canaveses was founded. In 1853, Marco de
Canaveses absorbed a portion of the municipality of Portocarreiro — Vila
Boa de Quires, Maureles and a part of São Pedro de Canaveses.
And, finally, in 1855 the total and current surface of the municipality
of Marco de Canaveses was completed with the entry of the parishes of
Constance, Banho, Carvalhosa, Santo Isidoro and Toutosa (which
previously belonged to the old municipality of Santa Cruz de Riba
Tâmega). .
On January 7, 1852, the year the municipality was
founded, Zé do Telhado, a famous Portuguese robber, often described as
the “Portuguese Robin Hood”, and his gang gathered near the Fandinhães
Chapel (still today in the same local) to plan an assault that would
take place the following day. At that moment, Adriano José de Carvalho e
Mello, deputy and administrator of the municipality of Soalhães, swore
that he would arrest his administrator. would make Adriano de José de
Carvalho e Mello's action difficult and therefore, he requests,
involving notable figures from the Regeneration movement, that a
municipality be created that brings together the various neighboring
municipalities and counties.
On March 31, 1852, D. Maria II
satisfied the wishes of Adriano José de Carvalho e Mello, creating the
municipality of Marco de Canaveses, which annexes the municipalities of
Benviver, Canaveses, Soalhães, Portocarreiro, part of Gouveia and Santa
Cruz de Riba Tâmega. And therefore, Adriano José de Carvalho e Mello
goes down in history as the founder of the municipality of Marco de
Canaveses, and today you can see a bust of him in the Municipal Garden.
With Marco de Canaveses as a municipality, the inauguration of the
Marco de Canaveses Railway Station took place on September 15, 1878, an
important reference for the municipality, in the extinct parish of Rio
de Galinhas (current parish of Marco). This station is part of the Douro
Line section, which brought Marco closer to Greater Porto, Régua and
Pinhão, as well as boosting the development of the entire region. It is
also important to note that the electrification of the same line,
between Caíde and Marco de Canaveses, completed in 2019, made it
possible to reduce travel time and increase the frequency of trains
running between Marco de Canaveses and Porto. Currently, in the
territory of this municipality, there are three stations: the Livração
station, the Marco de Canaveses station (in Rio de Galinhas) and the
Juncal station (in Soalhães). However, it is important to note that
until the formation of the current municipality in 1852, the Marco site
- the top of the hill to which the current city center of Marco de
Canaveses corresponds - was a mostly rural area, where few houses
existed. This is one of the reasons why, today, the city center is
devoid of old buildings or monuments (with the exception of some
buildings from the second half of the 19th century). Both Canaveses,
Soalhães or even Ariz were more urbanized at that time than the site
chosen as the municipal headquarters. However, it was in Marco that the
centuries-old and very important fairs were held, at the time considered
among the best in the North of Portugal. These fairs, where cattle were
also sold, were held on the 3rd and 15th of each month (the same days
they still take place today) and took place until 1952 where the
Municipal Garden is today. Furthermore, Marco was also a place where
several roads leading to Baião, several docks in Douro, Penafiel, Porto
and Amarante met. Only with the inauguration of City Hall in 1912 and
with landfills, excavations, earthworks and paving did the center begin
to gain some urban appearance. It was then in the 1910s, 1920s, and
1930s that the real progress of the Marco began, which included the
arrival of electric light (1927), the raising of the Monument to the
Dead of the Great War in the current Praça Movimento das Forças Armadas
(today the monument stands on the lower level of the Municipal Garden),
the alignment of houses, the enlargement of medieval spaces, the
construction of the balcony of the Municipal Garden, the tearing up of
avenues and squares, the foundation of the Futebol Clube do Marco, the
Hospital and the Volunteer Fire Department. Such was the transformation
that took place in these decades that the first minutes of the 1920
Administrative Commission meeting write "in this village of Marco de
Canaveses" and not "in this Aldêa do Marco" as it was written until
then.
In 1933, a macabre media event took place in Marco de
Canaveses. In the current parish of Soalhães, Arminda de Jesus Pereira
is burned alive in an open fire. This crime was mainly motivated by the
victim's neighbor, Joaquina de Jesus Couto. Joaquina believed that
Arminda was possessed by the devil and that the only way to free her
from this demon was to burn her, as she would resurrect safe the next
day. Therefore, Joaquina's husband, together with a small group of
people, lights the fire on which they place Arminda. All of this filled
Marco de Canaveses' newspapers and in the following days reached the
national press. For this reason, the parish of Soalhães is, even today,
known as “the land of kill and burn”.
It was only in 1993 that
Marco de Canaveses was elevated to city status, solidifying its status
and importance in the region. In the same decade, in 1996, the Church of
Santa Maria do Marco de Canaveses was inaugurated. Designed by architect
Álvaro Siza Vieira, the church represents a new concept in contemporary
religious architecture, becoming one of the city's main ex-libris.
Nowadays, the city and municipality of Marco de Canaveses has
developed rapidly and is a choice for many who seek tranquility close to
a large urban center. Nutritious with various municipal and public
infrastructures, multiple green leisure areas, good access and transport
networks, strong commerce and industry present, several pilgrimages and
parties throughout the year, unique nightlife in the region, Marco de
Canaveses is a city for the present and for the future.
The municipality of Marco de Canaveses has a destiny and vocation
marked by two of the most beautiful rivers that Nature could offer us:
the Douro and the Tâmega. The artificial reservoirs of Carrapatelo, in
the Douro, and Torrão, in the Tâmega, have extraordinary conditions for
water sports and pastimes, such as sport fishing, stand up
paddleboarding and tourist and competitive canoeing.
Furthermore,
thousands of tourists pass through the Douro every year, who will
certainly never forget the perfect symbiosis between the river and the
mountain. In fact, the grandeur provided by the Aboboreira and
Montedeiras mountains is overwhelming, which make this region one of the
most sublime places in Portugal from a scenic point of view.
Marco de Canaveses also has a large number of green leisure areas, with
playgrounds, exercise machines and tables for picnics.
Some of
these Green Leisure Zones are:
City Leisure Park: In the city center,
it has picnic tables, benches, a football and basketball field, a
playground and views of the Tâmega River.
Municipal Garden: In the
heart of the city, it is the work of José Cabral de Matos, mayor of
Marco between 1949 and 1953, and was inspired by the romantic utopia of
garden cities. Today, it has a playground and is the stage for many
events that take place in the city throughout the year.
Alameda do
Hospital: In the city center, there is a playground, benches and
terraces. It is in this avenue that the Municipal Library, the Cármen
Miranda Museum and the Tourist Office are located.
Tâmega River Park:
Along the banks of the Tâmega river, close to the city center. It
features picnic tables, exercise machines, playground, pier for small
boats and the possibility of water sports, such as canoeing. It is
possible to see the Church of Santa Maria de Sobretâmega and the Church
of São Nicolau de Canaveses (on the other bank of the river) — two
Romanesque churches.
Montedeiras Picnic Park: Large park, in the
Montedeiras mountains, close to the city center. It is intended for
socializing and picnics.
Alpendurada Leisure Park: It is a leisure
and sports space, next to the Tâmega river and close to the Torrão dam.
Bitetos River Beach: Beach bathed by the Douro River, it is very popular
during the bathing season, not only for diving, but also for water
sports, such as canoeing, water skiing and motor boating.
Pontinha
River Beach: Found close to the city center, on the Ovelha River, it was
very popular and visited by families during the bathing season. At the
moment, baths are closed to study water quality.
There are several
other parks and gardens throughout the municipality.
Likewise,
spread across the municipality there are 8 walking routes that allow for
greater involvement with the natural landscape present in the Marcuense
territory, having been created to guarantee the safety and tranquility
of visitors:
PR1 - Stones, Mills and Aromas of Santiago.
PR2 -
Two Rivers, Two Monasteries.
PR3 - Caminho do Rio.
PR4 -
BAO/MCN/ATM Dolmens Trail.
PR5 - Caminhos de Canaveses.
PR6 -
Tongóbriga Paths.
PR7 - Villages and Banks of the Ovelha River.
PR8 - Portocarreiro Trails - Vila Boa de Quires and Maureles
From the Neolithic Period to the Roman Era
Archeology constitutes
a fundamental element from the point of view of the municipality’s
heritage. The 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. The
20th century were especially marked by the discoveries of various
archaeological artifacts throughout the municipality, which ended up
being distributed among several museums in the country, but some
remaining in the Cármen Miranda Municipal Museum.
Important
Neolithic remains were found, including funerary monuments. From the
Iron Age, traces of walls and Castro dwellings come to us, such as
Castro de Arados, in Alpendurada and Matos.
Dating back to Roman
times, and currently one of the municipality's ex-libris, we have the
Tongóbriga Archaeological Station, an important Roman city, with its
heyday in the 1st and 2nd centuries and of which the thermal baths, the
forum, housing areas and a necropolis remain. . Much of what was
Tongóbriga is still under the current village of Freixo. It is possible
to visit the ruins, as well as the recent museum where various artifacts
and objects that were discovered during archaeological work are on
display.
Religious Monuments
Religious construction is another
of this municipality's strengths, and it is mandatory to talk about the
Romanesque and Baroque circuits, present in great strength in the
municipality. Marco de Canaveses contributes 10 monuments to the Route
of the Romanesque, currently being one of the municipalities (alongside
Amarante) with the most monuments on this route. Some of the main
religious monuments in the municipality are:
Main Church of São
Martinho de Soalhães (origin dates back to the 9th century).
Alpendurada Convent (11th century).
Monastery of Santa Maria de Vila
Boa do Bispo (12th and 13th century).
Church of Santa Maria de
Sobretâmega (founded after 1320).
Church of Santo André de Vila Boa
de Quires (13th century).
Church of São Nicolau de Canaveses (founded
after 1330).
Church of the Savior of Tabuado (mid-13th century).
Church of Saint Isidore (13th century).
Chapel of the Lady of
Livração de Fandinhães.
Church of Senhora da Livração (1721).
Main
Church of Carvalhosa (1779).
Chapel of Saint Lázaro (18th century).
Manhuncelos Parish Church.
Maureles Mother Church.
Parish Church
of Paços de Gaiolo.
Rosem Parish Church.
Convent of Avessadas.
It is also important to highlight the Santa Maria Church, in the
city center, designed by the Portuguese architect Siza Vieira, who
designed Marco de Canaveses internationally. Opened in 1996, it is a
unique and unique church with its minimalist and modern lines.
Marco de Canaveses is equipped with several stately homes, built over
time, throughout the municipality. Likewise, there are also many
pillories that appear on the streets of the municipality. Below is a
list of other monuments in the municipality:
Casa dos Arcos (17th
century).
Works by Fidalgo (1740-1760)
Arch Bridge.
Alpendurada
Memorial.
Pillory of Canaveses (São Nicolau).
Blizzard Tower.
Medieval Granite Camp (Alpendurada and Matos).
Pelourinho da Torre.
Pillory of Furnaces.
Pelourinho de Magrelos.
Pillory of Soalhães.
Toutosa pillory.
Chapel of Our Lady of Pilar (Tower, Vila Boa de
Quires and Maureles)
Likewise, it is worth mentioning the Cármen
Miranda Municipal Museum, the various light sources in the city center
and the Municipal Garden.
Some of the most illustrious figures who were born, or are in some
way associated with Marco de Canaveses, are:
Adriano Antero
(lawyer and writer);
Ângelo da Cunha Pinto (chemist);
António
Pinto de Magalhães Aguiar (mathematician);
António Joaquim Vieira de
Magalhães (1822-1903) Born in Marco de Canaveses, and in 1870, he was
minister of finance in Portugal;
Cármen Miranda (1909-1955): Born in
Marco de Canaveses, in the current parish of Várzea, Aliviada and
Folhada, but emigrated to Brazil when he was less than a year old.
There, she became famous as a singer and actress, often nicknamed "A
Pequena Notável", "The Brazilian Bombshell" or even "Ambassador of
Samba". He never returned to Portugal, but in Marco de Canaveses it is
possible to visit the Cármen Miranda Municipal Museum;
Belmiro de
Azevedo (1938-2017): Born in Marco de Canaveses, in the old parish of
Tuías (today part of the parish of Marco), and lived there until he was
11 years old, when he moved to Porto to pursue secondary education;
Aníbal Barreira (1945): Born in Marco de Canaveses, he is a Portuguese
historian and university professor;
Avelino Ferreira Torres
(1945-2019): Despite being born in Amarante, Avelino Ferreira Torres was
the mayor of Marco de Canaveses for 22 years, for the CDS-PP. Ferreira
Torres was also President of Futebol Clube do Marco. Controversial and
media-driven, he was a regular figure in the media, having even
participated in the television reality show Quinta das Celebridades, in
2004. His successive and many mandates usually recognize the great
development of the municipality, with the construction of various public
infrastructure , such as the Marco de Canaveses Municipal Stadium;
António José da Rocha Couto (1952): Born in Vila Boa do Bispo, Marco de
Canaveses, he is currently the Bishop of the Diocese of Lamego;
Carlos de Azeredo (military and politician);
David de Souza
(religious);
João Manuel Alexandrino de Vasconcelos (former Mayor of
Porto);
João Martins de Soalhães (bishop and diplomat).
The municipality of Marco de Canaveses is strongly marked by its relief, with areas at altitudes mainly between 200 and 600 meters, reaching higher values in the Serras da Aboboreira and Montedeiras. The highest point in the municipality is located at an altitude of 962 meters, in Serra da Aboboreira, which is shared by the municipalities of Marco de Canaveses, Amarante and Baião. In Serra de Montedeiras values of 640 meters are reached. To the north is Serra do Marão, in the municipality of Amarante. The region is also crossed by two of the most important Portuguese rivers, the Douro River and the Tâmega River. The Douro, coming from Trás-os-Montes regions, flowing from east to west, delimits the municipality to the south, separating it from the municipalities of Cinfães and Castelo de Paiva. The Tâmega, running from north to south, delimits a large part of the municipality to the west, separating it from the municipality of Penafiel. Another river that passes through the municipality is the Ovelha, which comes directly from the municipality of Amarante. Cidade do Marco de Canaveses is located 56 km from Porto, 18 km from Amarante, 19 km from Penafiel, 23 km from Baião and 30 km from Cinfães.
Due to its relief, Marco de Canaveses has an unstable and extremely extreme climate, with cold, harsh winters and hot summers. The coldest season of the year tends to be prolonged, often dropping below 0°C. At this time, daytime temperatures rarely exceed 13 °C, and the precipitation that gives rise to the city's greenery can be constant. Fog is also a constant presence. The cold is more evident in the northern areas, as well as in the Serras da Aboboreira and Montedeiras, where it is common to snow, sometimes recording negative temperatures of around -8 °C. With prevailing winds from the west and southwest quadrants, heavy rains are normally provided in the highest areas and decrease as the slopes descend into the valleys. During the driest summer months, temperatures above 30 °C may be recorded, sometimes reaching values close to 40 °C. However, pleasant summer days can be interrupted by constant cloudy days and some rain. Regardless of the season, cloudiness is frequent, which is more noticeable on winter days. The relative humidity is quite high, being between 75% and 80%. Intermediate days are rare, with temperature differences being quite sudden.
Around 60 kindergartens, some of them closed to be grouped with
school centers;
Around 50 primary schools, some of them modernized
into school centers;
Four 2nd and 3rd cycle schools;
Two secondary
schools;
Professional School of Archeology;
Stone Professional
School;
Professional School of Agriculture;
Cesae;
Multiformative;
Artâmega - Marco de Canaveses Arts Academy.
In the municipality of Marco de Canaveses, the service sector currently predominates. However, industry and agriculture also play an important role in municipal economic development. The textile industry and stone exploration are two examples. Agriculture, although markedly for personal consumption, also marks the municipal landscape.
Crafts and gastronomy are other treasures of this land, which is part of the Rota dos Vinhos Verdes and where Anho Assado com Arroz do Forno (original dish from this municipality), cavacas and slices of Freixo, and Soalhães biscuits constitute irresistible temptations.
The festivities in Cidade do Marco, in honor of St. Maria, take place
in the month of July. Throughout the municipality there is space for
other festivals and pilgrimages that attract more and more people to
Marco de Canaveses, such as São João, on June 24th, in Alpendorada.
On September 8th, the Lady of the Nativity of Castelinho, patron
saint of the municipality, is celebrated.