Parish Church of Palmeira de Faro

Saint Eulalia
Two liturgical feasts are celebrated in the Christian Calendar for Saint Eulalia of Barcelona (February 12th) and Saint Eulalia of Merida (December 10th), but it seems to be the same saint, referred to in two different places, because the ‘narratives’ about them are the same.
The young Eulalia was a convert to Christ in times of persecution of the Roman Empire. Her parents, aware of the girl’s belief, tried to protect her and kept her at home, so that her faith would remain unknown to those in positions of power.
However, the young girl felt drawn to martyrdom, certain of her love for Christ. Eulalia fled her home and defied the authorities and the gods of the Romans. Faced with such boldness, the Praetor still tried to save the young girl because of her beauty and innocence. However, Eulalia did not care for his attention and boldly reaffirmed her faith.
Thus, Eulalia was subjected to torture, burned and killed and became one of the most celebrated virgin martyrs of antiquity.

Legend of D. Sapo
The Legend of Don Sapo mirrors the medieval imagery of the power of lord-lieutenants and feudal lords, with absolute “rights” over everything. Legend has it that a nobleman, named D. Sapo, once lived in the municipality of Viana do Castelo and the lands of the Neiva valley, who would not relinquish his “right of the first night”, which consisted in having any young woman in his bed, resident in his fiefdom, in the night following her wedding. Ownership was not only of the land, but also of the people and the right to intimacy, which violated the fulfilment of fidelity that young spouses held most dear to their hearts, the right to one’s own body. The right to deflower young girls was beyond the understanding of the people, even though they were aware of the unlimited power of noblemen at that time.
Don Sapo was feared by all, for his perfidy and wickedness, when he claimed the right to the young maiden, on the first night after the wedding, which they called “right of the first night”. The legend particularly mentions this vice and abuse, regarding a nobleman from Cardielos, Viana do Castelo, named D. Florentim Barreto, whom the people called Don Sapo. Because of his revolting behaviour, they nicknamed him as a vile animal (Don Sapo – Mr. Toad). The story goes that a young man, who was close to the nobleman, did not want his future bride to be dishonoured by Don Sapo, so the young man decided to set him up. He visited the king, along with his servants, requesting the king’s permission to kill a man that lived in his lands, who was attacking the common decency and raping young women after their wedding ceremony, who were still virgins. The king, faced by such a horrible description, immediately approved its death in defence of these young newlywed women. When the young man and his retinue returned to the land, they killed Don Sapo mercilessly. When other noblemen learned of what happened, they reported the crime to protect themselves and, as protectors of Don Sapo, they demanded the conviction of the murderers. The king was furious and called all those involved to court. Notwithstanding, they told him that they did what the king had ordered, telling the whole story of Don Sapo’s behaviour. In the face of such an account, the king freed those who had killed the villainous nobleman.
If the traditional legend recounts the tale of the nobleman of Cardielos, there were probably other noblemen that committed such kinds of abuse and crimes. In Esposende, a man named Don Sapo, is depicted as having the same vile behaviour as well as his murder. According to tradition, he was buried in the lands of the Cávado valley, at Quinta da Torre de Gemeses. His tombstone is located near the main entrance of the Church of Palmeira de Faro. For this reason, women do not step on the tombstone while entering the church, according to local tradition.