“Lord of the Stone” or “Senhor da Pedra” in Portuguese, is a small rococo style chapel from the X VII century located by the Atlantic ocean in Madalena, Portugal.
The cult of Christ the Lord of the Stone may have originated as a ancient pre-Christian pagan worship of the Lord of the Sea.
In the back of the chapel appears a strange marking on the rock in the shape of horseshoe. The legend says that the mark was left or by the donkey that transported a Virgin Mary or by the horse of D. Sebastião I, one of the Portuguese kings.
The Chapel is an “icon” for photographers in Northern Portugal. Winter is an exceptionally good time to take pictures there: it´s cold what makes the air more transparent and clear, we have normally some clouds in the sky and the chapel is partially surrounded by water. Avoid times with strong winds - the moisture from the sea can damage your photos.
Send a cheeky biscuit to the one you love…
The Festa de São Gonçalo in Amarante, Portugal is an old fertility tradition where those that are unmarried exchange some rather intriguingly shaped cakes as a token of their affections!
More on Festa de São Gonçalo by Somewhere in the world today…
Picture: Only in Portugal… by LuzKreativa, on Flickr
