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Barcelos, Portugal

{{Infobox Portuguese subdivision

| type = municipality

| official_name = Barcelos

| image_flag = Pt-bcl1.png

| image_shield = BCL.png

| image_skyline = {{Photomontage

| photo1a = Barcelos visto desde Barcelinhos.jpg

| photo2a = Barcelos Igreja Matriz1375.JPG

| photo2b = BarcelosCityHall.jpg

| photo3a = Torre de Barcelos (9590194178).jpg

| photo3b = Barcelos city square.jpg

| spacing = 2

| position = center

| color_border = white

| color = white

| size = 280

| foot_montage = Top: The entrance to the city of Barcelos coming from the parish of Barcelinhos; middle: Igreja Matriz de Barcelos; City Hall and statue of Bishop António Barroso; bottom: The medieval tower; Tower view of the Church of Bom Jesus da Cruz and the gardens

}}

| image_caption =

|coordinates = {{coord|41|31|N|8|37|W|type:adm1st_region:PT_dim:100000|display=inline,title}}

| image_map = LocalBarcelos.svg

|region = Norte

|CIM = Cávado

|district = Braga

| leader_party = PSD

| leader_name = Mário Constantino Lopes

| area_total_km2 = 378.90

| population_total = 120,391

| population_as_of = 2011

| parishes = 60

| website = http://www.cm-barcelos.pt

}}

Barcelos ({{IPA|pt|bɐɾˈsɛluʃ|-|Pt-pt Barcelos FF.ogg}}) is a city and a municipality in Braga District in the Minho Province, in the north of Portugal. The population in 2011 was 120,391,[http://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xlang=en&xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_indicadores&indOcorrCod=0005889&contexto=pi&selTab=tab0 Instituto Nacional de Estatística] in an area of 378.90 km2.[http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/nuts_nomenclature/documents/PT-LAU.xls Eurostat] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007042623/http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/nuts_nomenclature/documents/PT-LAU.xls |date=October 7, 2012 }} With 60 parishes, it is the municipality with the highest number of parishes in the country. It is one of the growing municipalities in the country, and is well known for its textile and adobe industries, as well as its horseback riding events and "figurado" style of pottery, which are comical figurines with accentuated features of farmers, folk musicians, and nativity scene characters.

Barcelos is part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a Crafts and Folk Art City.{{Cite web|url=https://en.unesco.org/creative-cities/barcelos|title=Barcelos {{!}} Creative Cities Network|website=en.unesco.org|language=en|access-date=2018-10-03}}

History

Originally a Roman settlement, it expanded and became the seat of the First Duke of Bragança in the 15th century. The palace of the Dukes of Bragança was destroyed by an earthquake in 1755 and is now an open-air museum.

The town is on the Portuguese Way, a Christian pilgrimage route connecting to the Camino de Santiago.

Construction of the Barcelos Bridge, crossing the Cávado River, dates to 1325. The Bridge was deemed a National Monument in 1910.

Rooster

File:Coq barcelos.jpg is often used as a symbol of Portugal.]]

The town is closely associated with the Rooster of Barcelos ({{langx|pt|o galo de Barcelos}}), which often serves as a national symbol of Portugal.

One of the many legends of the rooster involves the town's long history along a pilgrimage route. The story involves a wealthy man throwing a grand party, which ended after the silver had gone missing. Among the guests was a pilgrim, who was accused of theft, and pleaded innocence before a judge. Unswayed by the pilgrim's claims, the judge sentenced the pilgrim to be hanged. As final protest, the pilgrim invoked divine intercession: the rooster being prepared for the judge's dinner would crow three times as proof of his innocence. As the execution approached, the judge at his dinner table watched the roasted bird miraculously crow three times. The judge quickly released the pilgrim, who would later return to Barcelos and commission a statue commemorating the divine providence.

Climate

Barcelos has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb) with warm summers and very wet, mild winters.

{{Weather box

|location = Barcelos, 1985-2021, altitude: {{convert|36|m|ft|abbr=on}}

|metric first = yes

|single line = Yes

|width = auto

|Jan mean C = 9.0

|Feb mean C = 9.9

|Mar mean C = 12.0

|Apr mean C = 13.3

|May mean C = 16.1

|Jun mean C = 18.8

|Jul mean C = 20.7

|Aug mean C = 20.5

|Sep mean C = 19.0

|Oct mean C = 15.9

|Nov mean C = 12.0

|Dec mean C = 9.9

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 175.0

|Feb precipitation mm = 138.1

|Mar precipitation mm = 116.7

|Apr precipitation mm = 125.9

|May precipitation mm = 88.3

|Jun precipitation mm = 40.9

|Jul precipitation mm = 25.2

|Aug precipitation mm = 28.0

|Sep precipitation mm = 67.1

|Oct precipitation mm = 178.2

|Nov precipitation mm = 185.9

|Dec precipitation mm = 182.8

|year precipitation mm =

|source 1 = Portuguese Environment Agency{{cite web |title=Barcelos (04F/01C) |url=https://snirh.apambiente.pt/index.php?idRef=MTM4Ng==&findestacao=04F/01C |publisher=APA |access-date=22 October 2021}}

}}

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 61 civil parishes (freguesias):{{cite web|title=Law nr. 11-A/2013, pages 552 21-24|url=http://dre.pt/pdf1sdip/2013/01/01901/0000200147.pdf |access-date=17 July 2014|author=Diário da República|author-link=Diário da República|language=pt}}

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

{{div col end}}

Notable citizens

File:Paio Peres Correia.jpg

File:Nelson Oliveira - Croatia vs. Portugal, 10th June 2013 (crop).jpg

= Sport =

Sport

Barcelos is home to Gil Vicente Futebol Clube (football) and Óquei Clube de Barcelos (rink hockey).

Twin Cities

{{Wikivoyage|Barcelos (Portugal)}}

{{commons category|Barcelos}}

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Parishes of Barcelos}}

{{Municipalities of Braga}}

{{Portal bar|Portugal|Geography|Europe|Society}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Cities in Portugal

Category:Municipalities of Braga District