Matosinhos, Porto, Portugal (Portuguese pronunciation:[mɐtuˈziɲuʃ](listen)) is a city and a municipality in the northernPorto district of Portugal, bordered in the south by the city of Porto (8km from the city centre). The population in 2011 was 175,478,[1] and covered an area of approximately 62.42 square kilometres (24.10sqmi).[2] The urban centre, the city proper, had a population of 45,703 in 2001.[3]
The facade of the Monastery of Leça de BalioThe public square and the Church of MatosinhosA turn-of-the-century perspective in Matosinhos: part of the annual sardine fishing seasonIKEA in MatosinhosOn the Matosinhos waterfront, She Changes sculpture by artist Janet Echelman
The oldest vestige of human settlement in this territory extend back thousands of years and include instruments and Paleolithic artefacts, collected along the old beaches (specifically Boa Nova and Almeiriga).[4] The settlement of the land began sometime 5000 years ago, during the Neolithic, as evidenced from various funeral monuments and dolmens sporadically situated in Lavra, Perafita, Leça do Balio, Santa Cruz do Bispo, Guifões and São Gens.[4]
At the end of the Bronze Age, much like most of the northwest peninsula, settlements expanded into proto-urban agglomerations at high altitudes (castros), associated with a culture with specific characteristics that predominated until the 1st century.[4] Until today there still exist vestiges of castros dotting the landscapes, such as the assets collected from the Castro of Monte Castelo in Guifões.[4] The natural conditions and navigability of the Leça River estuary assisted maritime transport, that depended on the transport of a diverse flow of merchandise from throughout Imperial Roman. Here, the products were offloaded and redistributed to other sites within the region.[4]
Its position within the Roman Empire provoked profound changes to the territory's structure and settlement.[4] The opening of new links (like the road between Cale and Bracara Augusta) and the construction of bridges (such as the Ponte da Pedra) resulted from a general policy of development, communication and commerce, associated with Pax Romana.[4] The estuary of Leça and the area of Lavra, therefore, became the most Romanized localities, as seen by the establishment of a villa and the constitution of production structures associated with sal production.[4]
When Portugal was established in the 12th century, a settlement in the territory had already existed for a time, Vila de Matesinum. One of the first official records referring to Matusiny dates from 1258, the result of Inquiries of Afonso III. At that time Matosinhos was a humble location, part of the parish of Sandim. During the late Middle Ages, the territory was marked by the foundation of monasteries and convents, such as the Monastery of Bouças.[4] This monastery, which had its origin in the 10th century, supported the growth of the settlement, and eventually became the administrative centre of the Julgado de Bouças in the 13th century: the basis of the municipality of Matosinhos.[4] Meanwhile, another medieval monument, the Monastery of Leça do Balio, whose origin extended back to the 10th century, later (12th century) became the primitive seat of the Ordem Militar dos Cavaleiros Hospitalários (the Portuguese version of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta).[4] The Order of Malt also maintained several other properties, that included monasteries of Lavra, Moreira and Aldoar.[4]
By the end of the 14th century, the small community of Franciscan friars installed themselves along the beach of Boa Nova, founding the Oratory of São Clement das Penhas.[4] This small convent would give rise to the Convent of Conceição de Leça, which was founded in the 15th century, where today the municipal park of Quinta da Conceição exists.[4]
In the 16th century, Matosinhos received a foral (charter) attributed to King D. Manuel I in 1514, which made it assume an important position as an agro-producer and seat of many property-owners.[4] Matosinhos, therefore, became a principal poles and suppliers of Porto, at a time when the parishes of Ramalde, Foz and Aldoar were part of the territory.[4]
During this time the actual Church of Matosinhos was built, where the image of the Bom Jesus (Good Jesus) was deposited at the Monastery of Bouças. The growing importance of the cult resulted in a profound remodelling of the temple, under the direction of Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni, who had worked in estates of Chantre (Leça do Balio) and Bispo (Santa Cruz do Bispo), as well as the Chapel of São Francisco (in the Quinta do Conceição).[4] The growth of the cult, the devotion to the Senhor de Bouças in Brazil, and expropriation of gold from the New World, was a determinant of the ambitious project to remodel the Monastery.[4] As a port city, the settlement ideally placed to take advantage of the traffic during the Age of Discoveries, when many emigrants were looking to purchase land in the territory of Brazil.[4] Many emigrants from Matosinhos, during the 17th century, founded the Confraria do São Salvador de Bouças and organized the cult of Bom Jesus, whose devotion grew with its invocation by emigrants travelling the ocean.[4]
In 1832, the army under the command of D. Pedro disembarked in Arnosa-Pampelido, and definitively implanted the flag of Liberalism in Portugal.[4] At the same time, a fishing community had already begun to turn the coast of Matosinhos into an important centre for conserve industry, establishing a principal motor for development in the municipality, that would drive the economy until the late 20th century.[4] In 1833, during the administrative reforms, the municipality of Bouças was created, with its seat (after 1836) in the locality of Senhora da Hora, which was elevated to the category of Vila de Bouças.[4] It remained the seat until 1853, when the town of Matosinhos was established, which included the civil parishes of Matosinhos and Leça da Palmeira, which became the municipal seat.[4] The reorganization resulted in the reorganization of Bouças, which began to incorporate parishes of Lavra and Perafita, which had been part of Maia, as well as the parishes of Leça do Balio, Custóias and São Mamede de Infesta (which were, until 1834, part of the old Couto de Leça).[4] In 1895, when they constructed the circulation roadway, the parishes of Aldoar, Ramalde and Nevogilde were de-annexed and integrated into the municipality of Porto.[4]
In 1909, the municipality solicited authorization to change its name to the municipality of Matosinhos, as locality of Bouças had lost its significance: it was ratified on 6 May 1909.[4]
The need to establish a sheltered port, resulted in the construction of the Port of Leixões at the end of the 19th century.[4] This marked the beginning of the process of the city's transformation, based on the sardine fishery and conserve industry, and the elevation of the town to the status of city on 28 May 1984.[4]
In 2005, the municipality funded a public sculpture to be built in the Waterfront Plaza of Matosinhos. The resulting sculpture is entitled She Changes[5] by American artist, Janet Echelman,[6] and spans the height of 50x150x150 meters.
Geography
A view of the beaches of Matosinhos
Administratively, the municipality is divided into 4 civil parishes (freguesias):[7]
In 2020, Galp Energia announced that the oil refinery would cease functions starting in 2021, deciding to focus all operations in the oil refinery in Sines instead.
World Rally Championship – Rally de Portugal an annual event held in May over 3 days with special stages contested in the surrounding areas including Guimarães Castle, Lousada rallycross circuit, Viano do Castelo, Braga, Cabreira Mountains and Fafe.[8]
Notable people
Manuel da Silva Passos, 1886Fernando Nogueira, 2015Catarina Pereira, 2008
Santo Tirso is a city and municipality located in the north of Porto Metropolitan Area, 25 km from central Porto, Portugal. In the region, the Ave Valley, there is a large center of textile industry. The population in 2011 was 71,530, in an area of 136.60 km².
Leça da Palmeira is a former civil parish in the municipality of Matosinhos in the Greater Porto area, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Matosinhos e Leça da Palmeira. It has 5.97 km² and had 17.215 inhabitants in the 2001 census.
Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport or simply Porto Airport is an international airport near Porto (Oporto), Portugal. It is located 11 km (6.8 mi) northwest of the Clérigos Tower in the centre of Porto, in the municipalities of Maia, Matosinhos and Vila do Conde and is run by ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal. The airport is currently the second-busiest in the country, based on aircraft operations; and the second-busiest in passengers, based on Aeroportos de Portugal traffic statistics, after Lisbon Airport and before Faro Airport. The airport is a base for easyJet, Ryanair, TAP Air Portugal and its subsidiary TAP Express.
Foz do Douro is a former civil parish in the municipality of Porto, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Aldoar, Foz do Douro e Nevogilde. The population in 2011 was 10,997, in an area of 1.88 km². It became a parish in 1836. It is located in the western part of Porto, next to the mouth of the Douro river and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the most affluent areas of city Porto, and known for being inhabited by the upper classes.
António Manuel Frasco Vieira, known as Frasco, is a Portuguese former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
Senhora da Hora is a former civil parish in the municipality of Matosinhos in the Greater Porto area, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish São Mamede de Infesta e Senhora da Hora. It was promoted from town (vila) to city (cidade) status on 12 June 2009. It lies just north of the Porto city limits and is densely populated. It is a major suburban habitational area with many houses and some commerce.
Portuguese Gothic architecture is the architectural style prevalent in Portugal in the Late Middle Ages. As in other parts of Europe, Gothic style slowly replaced Romanesque architecture in the period between the late 12th and the 13th century. Between the late 15th and early 16th century, Gothic was replaced by Renaissance architecture through an intermediate style called Manueline.
Custóias is a former civil parish in the municipality of Matosinhos in the Greater Porto area, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Custóias, Leça do Balio e Guifões. Custóias is a town since 2003. The town is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Matosinhos and 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Porto.
The Fort of Leça da Palmeira, or alternately the Castle of Matosinhos is a 17th-century fort located in civil parish of Leça da Palmeira, municipality of Matosinhos in the Greater Porto region of Portugal.
Padroense Futebol Clube is a Portuguese football club that competes in the Portuguese Second Division. They were founded in 1922.
Miguel Ângelo Marques Granja , known as Bura, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a central defender for C.D. Mafra.
Bruno Manuel Araújo Braga is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for S.C. Salgueiros as a midfielder.
Futebol Clube Infesta(abbreviated as FC Infesta) is a Portuguese football club based in São Mamede de Infesta, Matosinhos in the district of Porto.
The 1941–42 Taça de Portugal was the fourth season of the Taça de Portugal, the premier Portuguese football knockout competition, organized by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). Sporting Clube de Portugal was the defending champion but lost in the semi-finals to Vitória Sport Clube. The final was played on 12 June 1942 between Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses and Vitória Sport Clube.
Perafita, Lavra e Santa Cruz do Bispo is a civil parish in the municipality of Matosinhos, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes Perafita, Lavra and Santa Cruz do Bispo. The population in 2011 was 29,407, in an area of 22.65 km². It is crossed by the A28. The Porto Airport is situated in its territory.
The Castro of Monte Castelo is a Calcolithic fortified settlement, situated in the civil parish of Custóias, Leça do Balio e Guifões, in the municipality of Matosinhos in the northern Portuguese district of Porto.
The Portuguese Way is the name of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes starting in Portugal. It begins at Porto or Lisbon. From Porto, along the Douro River, pilgrims travel north crossing the five main rivers—the Ave, Cávado, Neiva, Lima and Minho—before entering Spain and passing through Pontevedra on the way to Santiago de Compostela.
References
↑ INE, ed. (2011), Censos (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: Instituto Nacional de Estatística
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Portugal 
listen )) is a city and a municipality in the northern Porto district of Portugal, bordered in the south by the city of Porto (8 km from the city centre). The population in 2011 was 175,478, [1] and covered an area of approximately 62.42 square kilometres (24.10 sq mi). [2] The urban centre, the city proper, had a population of 45,703 in 2001. [3] 
