MONTALEGRE
Was, is and will be the capital of Barroso. Surely, not the oldest of the parishes as evidenced by the old confrontations of neighboring terms; but after the Bolonhês gave orders to build the Castle - authentic jewel of medieval military architecture - changed his pivots and crosses and set a territory of twenty square kilometers to feed (grazing and agriculture) the initial hundred settlers. And like this, grew, throughout the centuries, through industry and legitimate ambition of its inhabitants.
Today the town is a small metropolis of vigorous trade, of incipient, but stable industries and enviable high tourism demand. They are already famous for their main fairs and markets (dos Santos, do Prémio, do Fumeiro, da Vitela), the county festivities of Senhor da Piedade, the Festival do Cabrito and various other cultural events such as the congresses of medicine, of archeology, of ethnology, of folklore and popular medicine. Since we are in the topic of festivities, we should recall that until the seventeenth century the town´s biggest festivity was São Frutuoso, in His humble chapel, on the path to Larouco.
There are always critics, but these, never do anything so as not to be criticized… As the saying goes: É sina de Portugal Comer bem e dizer mal! (It is fate of Portugal, to eat well and talk bad!). To report as a site with reference to the past, to classic times, a very important recent find of more than nine hundred roman coins.
PADROSO
Like all the parishes in the dry frontier, Padroso also suffered the travails of Castilian aggression and enjoyed the occasional benefits of smuggling. It was one of the honors of Barroso. But Padroso has other glories to pass to posteriority.
It was immediately a propitious village for illegal immigration – heroic acts saved many from hunger and the death of many poor families in the north. Fair is to remember Father Domingos of Donões that was vilified and convicted to ostracism, losing his priesthood and his social status, just for having a Christian spirit, charitable and supportive. Many that accused him, were a thousand times worst than him! Padroso and a so called Julius, corporal of the Fiscal Guard placed there, were the convenient place and the hand of justice to “set the trap” to catch a prepotent official, that the social unrest, out of the “North monarchy”, appointed administrator of the Montalegre county.
This army lieutenant, from Viseu, called Aurélio Cruz, had the people terrified, with threats, persecutions and incomprehensible fines, beatings and even days in prison! One day, the lieutenant whispered at Dr Custódio Moura´s ear intentions of offering a Galician velvet shawl to his maid. This sufficed to catch him in the snare. As the corporal of Padroso gave an official report, as he caught him in flagrant with the contraband shawl, the then government decided to exonerate him, for indecent and bad figure, sending him far away.
Area: 32.1 km2
Population Density: 57 hab/km2
Present Population: 1829
Patron: Nossa Senhora da Assunção (Montalegre) e São Martinho(Padroso).
Attractions:
Casa do Cerrado, Castelo, Sepulturas Antropomórficas (Santo Adrião);
Igreja do Castelo, o Carvalho da Forca, Fojo e Mata do Avelar, Piscina Coberta, Pista Automóvel (Montalegre);
Forno e Igreja (Padroso);
Parish villages: (2) Montalegre e Padroso.
Address:
União de Freguesias de Montalegre e Padroso
Apartado 27
5470-203 Montalegre
Telephone: 965 700 421
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.freguesiamontalegre.net
Montalegre Headquarters
Main Headquarter - Espaço Padre Fontes
