Barcelos Market - Feira de Barcelos

The town is credited with being responsible for the colourful cockerel that is sold all over the country as souvenirs.

Colourful pottery is its trademark thanks to the Grandma Moses of Portuguese Pottery, Rosa Ramalho, who produced gaudy and sometimes slightly frightening looking figurines that put Barcelos on the map in the 1950s.

Get to the market early before the hordes arrive mid-morning. The market remarkably retains its rural roots with chickens, hand-embroidered, clothes, sausages, homemade bread, cow bells, hand-woven baskets all being sold alongside the vast range of pottery that is mostly still made locally.

The Legend of the Portugal Cockerel

The legend behind the iconic status of the brightly coloured cockerel concerns a Galician pilgrim on his pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela who was sentenced to hang after being falsely accused of theft as he rested in Barcleos.

In a last minute appeal to the judge, who was enjoying dinner at the time, the condemned man made a bold statement: If this claim of innocence was true, the roasted rooster on the judge's plate would get up and crow. Suddenly, a gorgeous scarlet-plumed cockerel rose from the plate, crowing loud and long. Needless to say the judge pardoned the pilgrim.

Barcelos Tourist Guide

Many of the sights in the town are medieval in origin starting with the bridge you cross to enter the town and the octagonally shaped church of Senhor da Cruz which was built in 1704. Standing at the corner of the Campo this church was built over an old chapel where in 1504 a local cobbler was said to have had a vision of a cross etched into the ground. Inside the Baroque building are some bright azulejos and a grand gilded altar-piece. The exterior is typical of many Baroque buildings in the north of Portugal where the whitewashed walls are edged in granite. Free admission. Open 8.30 am-12.30 pm and 2-5.30 pm.

Today the 500 year old Feast of the Crosses occurs each May in this church. This is also where the Festival of the Crosses, Festa das Cruzes, is held at the beginning of May. During the five days of the festival the church is strewn with carpets of petals.

Barcelos is a handy base from which to explore the 18 kilometres of coastline that makes up the protected landscape of the Litoral Norte. Designated a Natural Park to protect the sand dunes that stretch up the north Portugal coastline it also aims to protect the traditional Minho way of life including the farming within the sand dunes where crops are fertilised by seaweed and sea salt.

This picturesque and less developed coastline is home to many specialised sand dune plants that you might get to view from the wooden walkways that lead visitors through the protected landscape.

Barcelos Museums and Festivals

Near the bridge are the ruins of the Dukes of Barcelos' Palace. These are all that remain of the early 15th century building after the great earthquake of 1755 destroyed it. Today it is an open air archaeological museum which features a 15th-century cross depicting the story of the Barcelos cockerel. You can roam around Roman columns and medieval caskets with the most famous being the 14th century stone cross, the Crucifix O Senhor do Galo, depicting the story of the cockerel said to have been commissioned by the reprieved pilgrim of the story. Open daily. Summer: 9 am-7 pm. Winter: 9 am-5.30 pm.

The Museo de Olaria is the other good museum in Barcelos worth a visit exhibiting about 7000 pieces including ceramics in different Portuguese regional styles. Although thebulk of the exhibits are typical of Barclos other areas are represented including pottery from the Azores. Open Tues-Fri 10 am-5.30 pm; Sat-Sun: 10 am-12.30 am and 2 pm- 5.30 pm. Closed: Mondays, 1 January, Easter Sunday, 15 August, 1st November, 24 and 25th December. Rua Cnego Joaquim Gaiolas, 4750-306 Barcelos. Tel: 351 253 824 741. Fax: 351 253 809 661. Email: museuolaria@cm-barcelos.pt