Legends of Porto
Roads and squares
Legend of Tripas à Moda do Porto
The nickname "tripeiro", which for centuries has been used to identify those who live in Porto, also has an associated legend, which takes us back to the Portuguese capture of Ceuta in 1415: Tripas à Moda do Porto.
The legend is thematically intertwined with other stories from the popular imagination related to Porto's participation in the Portuguese maritime expansion process, such as the story of Prince Henry the Navigator and the Massarelos Brotherhood, the legend of the church of St Nicholas, the origin of the city of Porto, and the legend of the Portuguese fishing boat.
Nicolau, the origin of the chapel of Senhor and Senhora da Ajuda (Lordelo) or the legend of Pedro Cem.
The traditional recipe calls for veal tripe to be thoroughly cleaned with salt and lemon, cooked with salt and accompanied by other meats and butter beans.
This sui generis recipe is proof, according to legend, of the town's deep involvement in the military expedition commanded by King João I who, in 1415, with the direct involvement of his son, the young Prince Henry, conquered the North African city of Ceuta, thus initiating the maritime and colonial expansion of the following centuries.
According to tradition, in addition to working on the construction of the ships and the participation of its men on the voyage, the port also provided everything it had for the fleet's supplies, having slaughtered all the cattle it owned and then, after removing their entrails, the meat was salted and placed in the holds of the ships. The city was left with only the offal, the "tripe", with which it would now have to invent food alternatives, given the lack of meat.
alternatives to meat. And so it was that "Porto made its heart work".
Legend of the ghost of S. Bento Station
Built on the site where the women's monastery of S. Bento de Avé-Maria had stood since the beginning of the 16th century, the S. Bento train station, located in the heart of Porto, was inaugurated on 5 October 1916.
Since 1856, when the first train ran in Portugal, Porto's businessmen had dreamed of the arrival of the railway in the city. The line from Lisbon reached Gaia (Devesas) in 1864. It was now necessary to overcome the Douro escarpment and cross the river, which only happened in 1877 thanks to the genius of French engineer Gustave Eiffel, who built the Maria Pia bridge there. But Porto's central station hadn't been built yet. Why?
The site chosen to house the station in the city centre was the monastery of S. Bento de Avé-Maria, the demolition of which had been practically planned since the decree to abolish religious orders in Portugal was imposed by the new liberal regime in 1834. However, while in the case of male monasteries and convents the friars and monks had only a few days to leave them, in the case of female monasteries the law allowed the nuns to continue living there until their death. In some cases, this meant many decades. In some cases, this meant many decades. This was the case with the monastery of S. Bento in Porto, since the death of its last nun didn't occur until 1892! Much to the dismay of those who had long wanted the train in the city centre. Legend has it that the last of the nuns, or her ghost, still inhabits the site. And that her prayers are often heard. And just as often, her weeping at the disappearance of the historic monastery. Or is it sarcastic laughter because, for a long, long time, she managed to delay work on the station that would destroy her monastery?
Legend of the Dragon of Porto
Long associated with the city's main sporting institution - Futebol Clube do Porto - as an image of strength and invincibility, the mythological figure of the dragon is also the institution's mascot and gives its stadium its name: Estádio do Dragão, in Antas. But the dragon was, after all, already part of the city's coat of arms more than a century ago, and is scattered throughout the most diverse places in Porto, and its origins have nothing to do with the sports club.
Let's go back to the 19th century - 1832/1833 to be precise - and the Siege of Porto. For a year the city resisted stoically alongside Pedro IV, fighting for liberal ideas and opposing Miguel's absolutist troops. It was a terrible year of enormous sacrifices, but the bravery of the people of Porto, as well as their solidarity and mutual help, ensured the victory of liberalism in Portugal. Pedro IV will never forget the courage of the city that defended freedom and liberalism. And he thanked the city in a number of ways: he donated his heart to the city (given to him by his daughter after the monarch's death) awarded Porto and its inhabitants the highest decoration in the country - the Order of the Tower and Sword; renamed Porto Invicta - the "very noble, loyal and undefeated city of Porto"; and created the title of Duke of Porto, an honour destined from then on to the second son of the kings of Portugal. Pedro died about a year later, but his promises were fulfilled by his daughter, Maria II, who on 14 January 1837 promulgated the new arms of the city of Porto, a coat of arms that duly represents Pedro's thanks. Pedro's thanks: "the insignia and collar of the grand cross of the ancient and very noble order of the Tower and Sword" and, above it, a ducal crown, reminding us that "the second son or daughter of the lords of these kingdoms will always take the title of duke or duchess of Oporto", with "a black dragon of the ancient arms of the lords kings of these kingdoms" protruding from the crown, the neck of which bears a ribbon with the word "Invicta".
Subsequent changes to the coat of arms imposed in 1940 (which also happened throughout the country), removed the crown (with the dragon) that topped it, replaced now by a "crown" of five castles. But, underlining the old fighting spirit of the people of Porto, many institutions stubbornly kept their dragon.
The nickname "tripeiro", which for centuries has been used to identify those who live in Porto, also has an associated legend, which takes us back to the Portuguese capture of Ceuta in 1415: Tripas à Moda do Porto.
The legend is thematically intertwined with other stories from the popular imagination related to Porto's participation in the Portuguese maritime expansion process, such as the story of Prince Henry the Navigator and the Massarelos Brotherhood, the legend of the church of St Nicholas, the origin of the city of Porto, and the legend of the Portuguese fishing boat.
Nicolau, the origin of the chapel of Senhor and Senhora da Ajuda (Lordelo) or the legend of Pedro Cem.
The traditional recipe calls for veal tripe to be thoroughly cleaned with salt and lemon, cooked with salt and accompanied by other meats and butter beans.
This sui generis recipe is proof, according to legend, of the town's deep involvement in the military expedition commanded by King João I who, in 1415, with the direct involvement of his son, the young Prince Henry, conquered the North African city of Ceuta, thus initiating the maritime and colonial expansion of the following centuries.
According to tradition, in addition to working on the construction of the ships and the participation of its men on the voyage, the port also provided everything it had for the fleet's supplies, having slaughtered all the cattle it owned and then, after removing their entrails, the meat was salted and placed in the holds of the ships. The city was left with only the offal, the "tripe", with which it would now have to invent food alternatives, given the lack of meat.
alternatives to meat. And so it was that "Porto made its heart work".
Legend of the ghost of S. Bento Station
Built on the site where the women's monastery of S. Bento de Avé-Maria had stood since the beginning of the 16th century, the S. Bento train station, located in the heart of Porto, was inaugurated on 5 October 1916.
Since 1856, when the first train ran in Portugal, Porto's businessmen had dreamed of the arrival of the railway in the city. The line from Lisbon reached Gaia (Devesas) in 1864. It was now necessary to overcome the Douro escarpment and cross the river, which only happened in 1877 thanks to the genius of French engineer Gustave Eiffel, who built the Maria Pia bridge there. But Porto's central station hadn't been built yet. Why?
The site chosen to house the station in the city centre was the monastery of S. Bento de Avé-Maria, the demolition of which had been practically planned since the decree to abolish religious orders in Portugal was imposed by the new liberal regime in 1834. However, while in the case of male monasteries and convents the friars and monks had only a few days to leave them, in the case of female monasteries the law allowed the nuns to continue living there until their death. In some cases, this meant many decades. In some cases, this meant many decades. This was the case with the monastery of S. Bento in Porto, since the death of its last nun didn't occur until 1892! Much to the dismay of those who had long wanted the train in the city centre. Legend has it that the last of the nuns, or her ghost, still inhabits the site. And that her prayers are often heard. And just as often, her weeping at the disappearance of the historic monastery. Or is it sarcastic laughter because, for a long, long time, she managed to delay work on the station that would destroy her monastery?
Legend of the Dragon of Porto
Long associated with the city's main sporting institution - Futebol Clube do Porto - as an image of strength and invincibility, the mythological figure of the dragon is also the institution's mascot and gives its stadium its name: Estádio do Dragão, in Antas. But the dragon was, after all, already part of the city's coat of arms more than a century ago, and is scattered throughout the most diverse places in Porto, and its origins have nothing to do with the sports club.
Let's go back to the 19th century - 1832/1833 to be precise - and the Siege of Porto. For a year the city resisted stoically alongside Pedro IV, fighting for liberal ideas and opposing Miguel's absolutist troops. It was a terrible year of enormous sacrifices, but the bravery of the people of Porto, as well as their solidarity and mutual help, ensured the victory of liberalism in Portugal. Pedro IV will never forget the courage of the city that defended freedom and liberalism. And he thanked the city in a number of ways: he donated his heart to the city (given to him by his daughter after the monarch's death) awarded Porto and its inhabitants the highest decoration in the country - the Order of the Tower and Sword; renamed Porto Invicta - the "very noble, loyal and undefeated city of Porto"; and created the title of Duke of Porto, an honour destined from then on to the second son of the kings of Portugal. Pedro died about a year later, but his promises were fulfilled by his daughter, Maria II, who on 14 January 1837 promulgated the new arms of the city of Porto, a coat of arms that duly represents Pedro's thanks. Pedro's thanks: "the insignia and collar of the grand cross of the ancient and very noble order of the Tower and Sword" and, above it, a ducal crown, reminding us that "the second son or daughter of the lords of these kingdoms will always take the title of duke or duchess of Oporto", with "a black dragon of the ancient arms of the lords kings of these kingdoms" protruding from the crown, the neck of which bears a ribbon with the word "Invicta".
Subsequent changes to the coat of arms imposed in 1940 (which also happened throughout the country), removed the crown (with the dragon) that topped it, replaced now by a "crown" of five castles. But, underlining the old fighting spirit of the people of Porto, many institutions stubbornly kept their dragon.
