Description Sernancelhe

Sernancelhe is a Portuguese village in the District of Viseu, North Region and Douro sub-region, with about 1,100 inhabitants.

It is the seat of a municipality with 228.61 km² in area and 5 671 inhabitants (2011), subdivided into 13 parishes. The municipality is limited to the north by the municipalities of Tabuaço and São João da Pesqueira, to the east by Penedono and Trancoso, to the south by Aguiar da Beira, to the southwest by Sátão and to the northwest by Moimenta da Beira.

Among the natives of this municipality, stands out Aquilino Ribeiro, one of the greatest Portuguese writers of the 20th century, whose novels often portray the idiosyncrasies of the "Terras do Demo", giving account of the weight that the geography of the region of which he was born had about the people who lived there.

The Order of Malta or the Knights of St. John's Hospital in Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta, as it was once called, had several goods and commendations in this municipality. That is why the municipal coat of arms bears the cross of the Order of Malta as chief.

Reconquered for Christians in the century. XI, this village had previously been occupied by the Romans and the Arabs, who left traces of their presence here.

The Romanesque Mother Church is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful in the country.

In a region where agricultural activity is still of great importance, Sernancelhe is known for its chestnut production.

Nearby, the Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Assunção in Tabosa, which was the last Monastery established by the Cistercian Order in Portugal, and the Sanctuary of Senhora da Lapa, which on the 15th of August, is the stage for an important pilgrimage.