VENDA NOVA
It is a relatively young village (it was still non-existent at the date of the numbering ordered by D. João III in 1530), but two hundred years later, was already listed as parish headquarters, in the parish memories of 1758.
It may be convenient to say that the referred parish memories may be constituted of unreliable information: on the one hand, due to the level of interest the questionnaires had aroused, and on the other hand, the state of mind, skills and propensity of the respondents! The annual questionnaire answered by invited priests to practice in poor and isolated villages, where they would live for one or two years and came from far away distances, would not carry the same level and value as the priests or abbots of rich parishes where they remained their whole life. Moreover, those moods are detected in the answers of the questionnaires given in different periods of time. The new headquarter parish took the place of S. Simão de Codeçoso de Arco and became São Pedro de Venda Nova, having been attached to Santa Marinha de Ferral.
The old church that was transferred out from the church valley into Venda Nova, because the valley was “drowned” like the whole village and the cemetery when the dam was inaugurated in 1950, with pomp and circumstance and where at the end of the party, ten people drowned.
PONDRAS
Apparent discrepancy occurs with the hagiotoponomy of this parish. The inquiries of 1258 call Him by, and rightly so, by Santo Fins; the Catalogue of all the churches, 1320, (reign of D. Dinis) called Him, wrongly so, São Félix. But recently, went back to calling Him by His correct name of São Pedro de Fins de Pondras. It is probable that the confusion comes from the treatment given to the problem of São Pedro Fins de Pondras in the archdiocese, said to be the first founder bishop of the Church of Braga, or to D. Pedro, first re-founder bishop of the Church of Braga.
In any event, on the 29th of June, a festivity is made in honor to the Prince of the Apóstolos. It is a significant case, the way in which the checked settlement, given that the main villages of the parish, Pondras and Ormeche are somewhat distant from the church´s location, by chance (or maybe not) close to the monticule, that was a “castro” where the village of São Fins is located (this is the true spelling of the hagiotoponomy that gives name to the village where the church is situated).
Area: 19.1 km2
Population Density: 19.7 hab/km2
Present Population: 376
Patrons: São Pedro (Venda Nova) e São Pedro Fins (Pondras)
Attractions:
Albufeira, Miradouro (Venda Nova);
Relógio de Sol (Pondras);
Miradouro (Ormeche).
Parish Villages: (8) Codeçoso, Padrões, Venda Nova, Sangunhedo, Ormeche, Paio Afonso, Pondras e São Fins.
Address:
União de Freguesias de Venda Nova e Pondras
Rua Central, n.º 27
5470-504 Venda Nova - Montalegre
Telephone: 964 883 789
Email: [email protected]
