Basto (Santa Senhorinha)

A church known as the See of Basto and stories of Saint Lady: start here. Devotion to the saint and the narratives of his miracles are part of religious memory and local tradition. Quintas, manors and Olela chapels add other clues to discover Basto.

The church they call the See of Basto

In Santa Senhorinha, the church has a religious memory that earned it the popular name of Sé of Basto. The name expresses the prestige and antiquity attributed to the temple; it does not prove that it was the seat of a diocese. Here, Basto is the name of the parish, also known as Santa Senhorinha, and not of the entire region of the Lands of Basto.

Houses, Thursdays and devotions

The houses of Paço, Castelo, Mozes and Vila Garcia are mentioned in the municipal presentation as already rolled in 1726. The Oven and Carcavelos also integrate this landscape of houses and farms. In Olela, the Chapel of Calvary is also known as Senhora do Ó. Agriculture and the presence of economic activities in Olela show different uses of the same territory.

A reading from 1758

The relationship of Santa Senhorinha describes a parish between hills and valleys, integrated in the municipality of Cabeceiras de Basto. It is a portrait produced in the religious and administrative context of the eighteenth century. The cult of the saint and the narratives of miracles belong to the history of devotion and religious tradition; they are presented with this framework, without transforming beliefs into events demonstrated.

The church and public life of St.

The parochial relationship of 1758 presents the church as a center of ceremonies with participation of the House and neighboring parishes. It describes the procession of the Body of God, music and sermons, and distinguishes spaces linked to the Third Order of San Francisco. These testimonies show the collective dimension of the sanctuary. The popular designation Sé of Basto expresses its local prestige, without establishing the existence of an episcopal seat.

Olela fairs, mills and Thursdays

The same report lists fairs in Olela and marks olive oil mills in the farms of Vila de Lobos and Cainhos, as well as mills. The water served the irrigation and processing of crops. Manor houses and chapels coexist, therefore, with a less monumental work heritage. The calendars described in 1758 are historical; they do not confirm the current realization of these fairs nor the operation of the old mills.