Roteiros das Freguesias - Belinho

The viewpoint of Senhora da Guia is a privileged place where we can admire an immense extension of the Atlantic coast, from S. Bartolomeu do Mar to Viana do Castelo. If we turn our attention inland, the elevations of Serra da Nogueira, Monte Crasto and Serra d'Arga make us realize that we are in a language of agricultural land, embedded between the sea and the fossil cliff, which follow the first major reliefs towards the interior of the territory. The agricultural landscape of this region is marked by fields of great fertility, capable of growing cereals and vegetables. Almost flat, spread and protected from the winds by natural or man-made hedges, these fields have been rich since the Middle Ages and coveted by everyone. The property structure is complex, with situations in which successive inheritances make the territory a patchwork of properties. Small forests still punctuate the landscape, left as a reserve of bush, game and protection against the winds that sometimes strike this almost flat land. There, in the distance, we can see the cordon of dunes, natural defense of these agricultural fields against the impetus, sometimes violent, of the Atlantic. Looking north, we can see the final section of the Neiva valley, the limit of the Esposende municipality, which also contributes to the freshness and fertility of these lands.

In the Chapel of Senhora da Guia there was an oil lamp, facing west, which served as a beacon for the sailors who passed off the coast. Nowadays this point of orientation has become obsolete, although the place name remains. The current chapel, inaugurated on May 19, 1974, will have emerged from a small niche from other times, and preceded by another one from the 17th century, which was a little beside the existing one and which, for reasons of conservation, will have been demolished.

The oral tradition attributes to Monte da Senhora da Guia two curious legends. One of them explains the existence of the images of the Saint, since during the barbarian and later Muslim invasions, this mountain would have served as a refuge for the populations, who would have brought an image of Nossa Senhora da Guia for their protection. This image would have been kept in one of the niches of the fragas. Nowadays, in the mid-1970s, the chapel was built, creating better conditions for worship.

But another legend also marks this place. The oral tradition also says that in the cave of Monte Jóia, also known as Monte Cabreiro, a monk would have lived in the 19th century. This monk would inhabit the cave during the summer, going to Lisbon to sell lottery tickets during the winter. The cave in question is a natural cavity carved in the rock, whose entrance is next to a huge boulder near the Chapel. The entrance is narrow and inside you can see three images of Our Lady.

Source: https://www.visitesposende.com/