Barcelos, Portugal

Barcelos () 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, in an area of 378.90 km². 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 by 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.

Barcelos is part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network 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.

The town is on the Portuguese Way, a Christian pilgrimage route connecting the Camino de Santiago.

Construction of the Barcelos Bridge, crossing the Cávado River, dates to 1325. The Bridge was deemed a National Monument in 1910.

Rooster

The town is closely associated with the Rooster of Barcelos ( pt, o galo de Barcelos), which often serves as a national symbol of Portugal.

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 hang. 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.

Climate

Barcelos has a Mediterranean climate ( Köppen: ''Csb'') with warm summers and very wet, mild winters.

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 61 civil parishes (''freguesias''):

* Abade de Neiva
* Aborim
* Adães
* Airó
* Aldreu
* Alheira e Igreja Nova
* Alvelos
* Alvito (São Pedro e São Martinho) e Couto
* Arcozelo
* Areias
* Areias de Vilar e Encourados