Sopo

Sopo
—  Parish (civil)  —
Freguesia de Sopo
Panoramic View of Sopo
Flag Coat of arms
Sopo
Coordinates:
Country	Portugal
Region	Norte
Subregion	Minho-Lima
District/A.R.	Viana do Castelo
Municipality	Vila Nova de Cerveira
Neighborhoods	29 lugares • Aldeia • Assamonde • Barreira • Bárrio • Barros • Bouça • Cabral • Campo Redondo • Carreiro • Carvalha • Chães • Cimo de Vila • Cortinhas • Costa • Curros • Espinhosa • France • Gaves • Igreja • Pardelhas • Passos • Pinheiro Manso • Quinta • Rodetes • Senra • Trás do Outeiro • Vale • Vale das Donas • Veiguinha
Government
• Type	Parish Board (Portuguese: Junta de Freguesia)
• President	Manuel Pedro Cerqueira Soares
Area
• Total	13.91 km2 (5.4 sq mi)
Population (2001)
• Total	576
• Density	41.4/km2 (107.2/sq mi)
Time zone	WET (UTC+0)
• Summer (DST)	WEST (UTC+1)
Postal Code	4920-130 SOPO
Country Code & Fix Line	+351 251
ISO 3166 code	PT
Patron Saint	St. James (S. Tiago)
Website	www.jf-sopo.com

Sopo is a civil parish (Portuguese: freguesia) in the municipality (Portuguese: concelho) of Vila Nova de Cerveira in Portugal.

Contents 1 History 2 Population 3 Geography 4 Government 4.1 Parish Board 4.2 Parish Assembly 5 Industry 6 Heraldry 7 Tradition 8 Points of Interest 9 Gastronomy 10 Social Groups 11 Neighborhoods 12 References 13 External Links

History

According to the Portuguese National Archive:^[1]

A document from 1258 that lists churches situated between the Lima River and the Minho River names "Zopo" as one of the churches that belonged to the Bishop of Tui.

In the beginning of the XVI century, the parish of Sopo was incorporated into the Archdiocese of Braga and it was part of the municipality of Caminha. In 1546, Sopo was still part of Caminha.

A copy from 1580 of D. Frei Baltasar Limpo's census information about the canonical situation of these benefits mentions that Santiago de Sopo, still in the region of Caminha, was dividing in two. The part of Sopo that had no priest went to the Archbishop, and the part that had a priest went to the presentation of lay patrons.

Administratively, in 1839, Sopo was in the municipality of Monção. In 1852, it was in the municipality of Valença. On July 12, 1895, Caminha annexed Sopo. On January 13, 1989, Sopo was restored to Vila Nova de Cerveira.

Sopo has belonged to the Diocese of Viana do Castelo since November 3, 1977.

Population

As of the 2001 census, Sopo has 576 inhabitants.

Geography

Sopo is 13.91 km² in area, and has a population density of 41.4 hab/km².

Government

Sopo is governed by a Parish Board (Portuguese: Junta de Freguesia) and a Parish Assembly (Portuguese: Assembleia de Freguesia).

Parish Board

• Manuel Pedro Cerqueira Soares, President
• Luís Alberto Fernandes Araújo, Secretary
• Catarina Dantas Giestal, Treasurer

Parish Assembly

• Carlos Manuel Teixeira Bouça, President
• Cristina Maria Fernandes Guerreiro, 1st Secretary
• Luís Dinis do Poço, 2nd Secretary
• Elisabete Gomes Postiço Rodrigues, Voting Member
• Sandrine Paula Soares Brandão Dias, Voting Member
• Fernando Vieira, Voting Member
• Armando Rodrigues da Silva Pereira, Voting Member

Industry

The main industries in Sopo are:

• agriculture;
• livestock;
• baking; and
• hydroelectricity.

Heraldry

• Coat of arms: Sopo's coat of arms has a red background and features a white shield in the center. In the middle of the shield are two black beehives with silver highlights. At the top is a red scallop; and at the bottom, is a red grate with raised silver spikes. Above the center shield is a silver crown with three towers. Below it, there is a white banner with "SOPO" written in black.
• Flag: Sopo's flag features the coat of arms with silver cords and a silver border. The pole and lance are gold.
• Seal: In terms of the law, Sopo's seal says, "Junta de Freguesia de Sopo - Vila Nova de Cerveira".

Tradition

Traditional festivals include:

• Festival of Our Lady of Agony (Portuguese: Festa de Senhora de Agonia)
• Festival of St. James (Portuguese: Festa de S. Tiago)
• Festival of St. John (Portuguese: Festa de S. João)
• Festival of St. Andrew (Portuguese: Festa de Santo André)

Points of Interest

The following points of interest hightlight the heritage of Sopo:

• Town church (Portuguese: Igreja Paroquial)
• Stone cross of Our Lady of Piety (Portuguese: Cruzeiro da Senhora da Piedade)
• Various chapels:
  • Capela de Santo André
  • Capela de S. Gregório
  • Capela da Quinta da Parede Nova
  • Capela de Santo Abedão
  • Capela da Senhora da Agonia
  • Capela de S. João
  • Capela de Altos da Pena
  • Capela de Góis.

Gastronomy

Sopo specializes in the following culinary dishes:

• Lamprey Eel Rice (Portuguese: Arroz de lampreia)
• Pork Stew (Portuguese: Sarrabulho)
• Pork Sausage (Portuguese: Enchidos de porco)

Social Groups

Sopo has the following social groups and clubs:

• Sopo Folklore Dance and Music Club (Portuguese: Rancho Folclórico da Freguesia de Sopo)
• Sopo Sports Club (Portuguese: Clube Desportivo de Sopo)
• Drums of St. James Cultural and Recreational Association (Portuguese: Associação Cultural e Recreativa Bombos de S. Tiago de Sopo)^[2]

Neighborhoods

According to CTT, the Portuguese Postal Service (Portuguese: CTT Correios de Portugal, there are 29 neighborhoods (Portuguese: Localidade) in Sopo:^[3]

References

1. ^ Portuguese National Archive, Torre do Tombo (Portuguese)
2. ^ Associação Cultural e Recreativa Bombos de S. Tiago de Sopo (Portuguese)
3. ^ Postal code search tool (Portuguese)

External Links

Junta de Freguesia de Sopo (Portuguese)