Top: The entrance to the city of Barcelos coming from the parish of Barcelinhos; middle: Igreja Matriz de Barcelos; City Hall and statue of Bishop António Barroso; bottom: The medieval tower; Tower view of the Church of Bom Jesus da Cruz and the gardens
Barcelos (Portuguese pronunciation:[bɐɾˈsɛluʃ]ⓘ) is a city and a municipality in Braga District in the Minho Province, in the north of Portugal. The population in 2011 was 120,391,[1] in an area of 378.90 km2.[2] With 60 parishes, it is the municipality with the highest number of parishes in the country. It is one of the growing municipalities in the country, and is well known for its textile and adobe industries, as well as its horseback riding events and "figurado" style of pottery, which are comical figurines with accentuated features of farmers, folk musicians, and nativity scene characters.
Originally a Roman settlement, it expanded and became the seat of the First Duke of Bragança in the 15th century. The palace of the Dukes of Bragança was destroyed by an earthquake in 1755 and is now an open-air museum.
One of the many legends of the rooster involves the town's long history along a pilgrimage route. The story involves a wealthy man throwing a grand party, which ended after the silver had gone missing. Among the guests was a pilgrim, who was accused of theft, and pleaded innocence before a judge. Unswayed by the pilgrim's claims, the judge sentenced the pilgrim to be hanged. As final protest, the pilgrim invoked divine intercession: the rooster being prepared for the judge's dinner would crow three times as proof of his innocence. As the execution approached, the judge at his dinner table watched the roasted bird miraculously crow three times. The judge quickly released the pilgrim, who would later return to Barcelos and commission a statue commemorating the divine providence.
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