Century XVI / XIX
It is a temple built between the 16th and 19th centuries, which suffered some damage due to adverse weather, especially the great invasion of the sands, which buried the building on several occasions. Inside the main chapel, are the oldest remains of this building: two doors, one bearing the date of 1673 and the other bevelled door hints to the building’s date of construction, the 1500s. The remainder of the building is much later, with successive renovation works throughout the 19th century. The tower was erected nearly at the turn of the century, in 1893. The façade shows a typical 19th century style, with its sober air and simple but elegant pediment. The pinnacles that adorn this façade are also clearly from the 19th century.
Daily, 10h00-18h00
St. Paio of Fão
Saint Pelagius (or San Paio), also known as Saint Pelagius of Cordoba, the place of his martyrdom, as he was originally from Galicia. One of the most remarkable saints of the so-called ‘Christian Reconquista’, a period in the Middle Ages in which the Christian kingdoms in the north of the Iberian Peninsula were fighting against the Muslim forces. In the Christian imagery of the Peninsula, real or legendary figures who, through military battles or martyrdom, highlight and enhance the value of the Christian faith, become examples to be followed and protect both the new Christian kingdoms and the Pantheon of Saints protecting these kingdoms. Saint Pelagius gathered these two characteristics on himself: he was a 13-year-old young man who accompanied his uncle Hermigius, bishop of Tui, as a page, in the battle against the emir of Cordoba Abd al-Raḥmān III, but he also suffered martyrdom in the name of Christian precepts. The tragic end of the battle, with Hermigius, held prisoner of the emir, led to lengthy negotiations for the release of the prelate, which only happened, to secure the ransom, making Pelagius hostage of the emir. Pelagius then became the object of desire of the Muslim sovereign and his son, due to his extraordinary beauty. The refusal of the emir’s advances was the reason for Pelagius being tortured and thrown into the river Guadalquivir, where he died.
The refusal of immorality and his martyrdom in the hands of the ‘infidels’ underline the superiority of the behaviour and faith of young Pelagius. That is why Saint Pelagius is a saint of great devotion in the northwest of the peninsula. Many are the parishes in which he is the patron saint, and many are the children named after him. His feast is celebrated on June 26 in the Liturgical Calendar.
Legend of the Horses of Fão and King Solomon
The name “Horses de Fão” refers to a group of underwater rocks near the coast of Fão, in front of Ofir, which form a rocky sandbank protecting the mouth of the Cávado river and the beaches along the county territory. They are famous for many shipwrecks, because the ships, once too close to the coast, would inevitably clash onto those rocks. During the low tide, it is possible to see the rocky outcrops, which the local tradition calls “Horses of Fão” and its associated legend.
Legend has it that in the days of King Solomon, a very rich and wise king, many boats came to these lands of the Cávado river in search of gold for him to build the Temple of Jerusalem, promised by his father, King David. It had to be the most beautiful and richest Temple in the world, and so gold and wood came from everywhere. Knowing that there was much gold and other metals in this region, King Solomon sent the Phoenicians to get it.
Here they went to the many mines exploited in these lands and took the best gold there was. This was the land of Ofir, the land of gold and wealth. The Phoenicians brought the gold to the mouth of the Cávado river and carried it to Jerusalem, handing it over to King Solomon. Seeing such wealth and abundance of gold, he sent them back to bring more, offering them the best horses of his royal house, as a prize for such good work and such wealth. The proud Phoenicians returned to the Cávado river.
They were about to land when a huge storm broke out. The waves were growing high and the wind was breaking the sails of the boats. It was such a storm that the boats sank. Many men and goods were lost, but the horses, so beautiful and great that they were, instead of disappearing into the waters, turned to stone in plain sight. As they were petrified, they remained there forever, and even today, they can be seen in all their greatness in hours of low tide.
Some say that some of the horses sighted there nowadays, also petrified, belonged from the barbaric peoples of northern Europe, who came from the sea to conquer the villages of this land, such as Castro de S. Lourenço. In one of these raids, the invaders brought beautiful horses to advance into the land. However, the people joined forces and fought them, pushing them to the sea, with no time to return to their boats and escape. In this escape by sea, the barbarians drowned and died. But the horses remained there petrified, along with those of the Phoenicians. There they are, the horses, to everyone’s wonder!
