Catoira is a municipality in
Galicia, Spain, located in the province of
Pontevedra
Pontevedra (, ) is a city in the autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. It is the capital of both the ''Pontevedra (comarca), Comarca'' and Province of Pontevedra, and the capital of the Rías Baixas. It is als ...
. It's known for the ruins of the
''Torres do Oeste'' (Towers of the West), a fortification built in the
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...
as a defense against
Viking
Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...
attacks.
Demography
Local festivals
The most important celebrations include:
*the
Viking Festival of Catoira, held on the first Sunday in August (Declared of International Tourist Interest),
*the Supervisory Celebrations
*Feast day of
Saint Anthony of Padua
Anthony of Padua, OFM, (; ; ) or Anthony of Lisbon (; ; ; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and member of the Order of Friars Minor.
Anthony was born and raised by a wealth ...
, held on the second Sunday in July, during which the famous Gastronomical Celebration "da Solla" is celebrated. The local parishes have (during the summer) their own celebrations.
*The most important of these is the ''Festa da parroquia de Oeste'', or ''Festas de Santabaia'', on the second weekend in August. There are also very important celebrations in honor of San Antonio de Dimo (the first Sunday in July)
References
External links
Official websiteOfficial web site of the San Antonio SocietyOfficial web about viking festival of CatoiraCanoeing club "As Torres"Ateneo vikingo
Municipalities in the Province of Pontevedra
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