Monte de São Brás, Portugal

Good morning, friends

Welcome to another post in the WednesdayWalk community

I'm going to take you with me to Monte de São Brás. I visited this place not long ago, at the time of the São Brás celebrations, which take place on the first Sunday after February 2nd.
This small, green spot, located between Santa Cruz do Bispo and Crestuma, gives visitors a tranquillity they can't feel in the middle of a city... The agricultural fields that surround it are cultivated, many of them by inmates from Crestuma Prison (those who have lighter sentences and are not banned from leaving), and stretch as far as the eye can see. With its back to the River Leça, this hill rises about 70 meters, giving those who climb it a pleasant view over the fields I mentioned.

As I told you, I went to this hill to visit the Chapel of São Brás and Nossa Senhora do Livramento, as well as the chapel of the Martyr São Sebastião.

The former is located at the top of a long staircase, topped by a wide dirt churchyard, which even has to have a sign so you don't play ball, how attractive this area is.

On your right, and located after a small stone bridge that joins the two sides of the hill, is the Chapel of the Martyr São Sebastião. Facing north and on the banks of the River Leça, this small chapel welcomes visitors with open doors.

Inside, in addition to a statue of the saint who gives it its name, you can see several cherubs, as well as altarpieces that are believed to have been recovered from the original chapel, which dates back to around 1880. The silence, broken from time to time by the constant influx of visitors, is a motto in these parts. As I don't like being "forced" inside churches or chapels, I preferred to wait outside for my two friends while they prayed.

In the churchyard at the back of the chapel, I found the perfect place to sit and wait for them... The landscape, now dominated by eucalyptus and acacia trees, had been populated by cork oaks and oaks - endemic and native trees to the region and to my country. Unfortunately, it's all too evident that several autochthonous and more resilient species have been replaced by others that offer greater economic potential due to their growth rate.

In any case, the time I sat here and contemplated the view to the sound of some birds chirping to announce another late afternoon, I didn't take for granted, quite the opposite.

As we walked back down the staircase leading to the chapel of São Brás, we passed the stalls selling sweets and regional specialties. One of the most popular sweets in these parts is called "Caladinho". Although I haven't tried it, I know that it's filled and that it's some how similar of a "Churro" (wikipedia link).

My friend decided to take some dried figs, which his father loves to eat with Port wine.

^{Halfway up the stairs to the Chapel of São Brás}

^{Just a few more steps to get to the churchyard}

^{Stalls with local sweets and delicacies. But we'll get to that at the end of our visit}

^{The entrance to the Chapel of São Brás}

^{The church is carefully covered in tiles that are very typical of northern Portugal.
There's one that comes to mind - the Church of Mafamude}

^{The schedule of celebrations for the two most important days. The festivities in honor of São Brás and Nossa Senhora do Livramento}

^{The interior of the chapel. We can see that the simplicity of the side walls is replaced by the careful gilding of the altar. The carefully varnished wooden floor, with its red carpet, invites passers-by to come in and say a prayer to the saint}

^{The outside churchyard of the first chapel. We can read on the green sign that it is forbidden to play ball. On the right is the bridge that connects to the other side of the hill and gives access to the Chapel of the Martyr São Sebastião}

^{This bridge is certainly more than two hundred years old and was here shortly after the two chapels were built.
I couldn't find out when it was built}

^{The view from the middle of the bridge}

^{The main churchyard of the first chapel}

^{The acacia trees and some cork oaks and plane trees, as well as some linden trees, are a delight for those who rest here}

^{A huge plane tree stands on the left side of the front churchyard of the second chapel.
At this time of day it's so nice to photograph. I love the light!}

^{The shadows play and form patterns that continually change as the Sun describes its arc in the firmament}

^{The entrance to the Chapel of the Martyr St. Sebastian}

^{If it wasn't such a busy day, I swear I'd sit here at this side counter in the lobby}

^{The altar with the Saint and the snippets of his life}

^{On the right photo, a segment of tile recovered from the original chapel}

^{Two carvings that are thought to have been taken from the original altar that was restored for display}

^{Saint Martyr's pagella}

^{Detail of the crucifix at the back of the chapel}

^{The perfect place for me to keep my thoughts and reflections while my friends don't arrive}

^{And now, the return home... But not before we passed the vendors' stalls}

^{The famous sweets I told you about. The "Caladinhos"}

^{As our friend was the only one who wanted to buy dried figs for his father, I didn't dare go near the stall...
so that I could resist more easily... Ahahah}

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of Monte de São Brás. If you ever find yourself "lost" in the north of Portugal, dare to venture into the lesser-known places. Nowadays, with the technology at our disposal, we can visit and get to know many more things than would have been possible half a dozen years ago.

Thank you for passing by 😊

Bem Hajam 🍀

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Photographic edition with PhotoScape X