Arcos (Vila do Conde)

Arcos
Civil Parish
Official name: Freguesia de Arcos
Name origin: Portuguese word for arches
Country  Portugal
Region Norte
Subregion Grande Porto
District Porto
Municipality Vila do Conde
Localities Arcos, Casais, Rego
Center Arcos (Vila do Conde)
 - elevation 51 m (167 ft)
 - coordinates 41°23′51″N 8°39′21″W / 41.39750°N 8.65583°WCoordinates: 41°23′51″N 8°39′21″W / 41.39750°N 8.65583°W
Lowest point
 - elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Area 5.81 km2 (2 sq mi)
Population 819 (2011)
Density 141 / km2 (365 / sq mi)
Timezone WET (UTC0)
 - summer (DST) WEST (UTC+1)
Postal Zone 4480-020
Area Code & Prefix (+351) 252 XXX XXX
Patron Saint São Miguel
Location of Arcos in the municipality of Vila do Conde
Website: http://www.freguesiadearcos.pt/
Geographic detail from Instituto Geográfico Português (2010)

Arcos is a former civil parish in the municipality of Vila do Conde, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into Rio Mau e Arcos, a newer parish.[1] In 2011 the population was 819 [2] in an area of 5.81 km².[3] It is situated on the Ave River near the north-eastern frontier with the municipality of Barcelos, and resides in the shadow of its larger municipal neighbor.

History

The exact toponymy of this parish is not certain. It may have been named after a Casais Moorish castle with the same name, a Roman bridge near Monte da Reguenga, or a subterranean road that led to the Este River, where travelers stopped to water their horses.[4] It is very likely that a medieval castle existed in Argifonso, since multiple structures and a castro were discovered in the vicinity, but Moorish influences in the Iberian peninsula only occurred at the end of 711.[4] During Roman occupation, any settlements would have cultivate fields, causing the abandonment of the castros: the Castro of Casais still presents vestiges of the Castro culture and Roman artifacts.[4] Legend refers to an ecclesiastical parish dedicated to Sant'Iago in Moldes, although no documented proof of this legend exists.[4]

Its landmark, the Roman-built bridge, actually dates back to the 12th century; in 1140, the bridge already existed, but historians suggested that an ancient bridge once spanned the Ave River. Medieval documents refer to this bridge as the via vecteris (old way), alluding to its Roman genealogy.

Since 1836, Arcos existed as a part of Vila do Conde.

During the 9th century (1078–1091) there is a reference to São Miguel de Arcos, in the ecclesiastical census in Braga and Guimarães.[4] However, neither records from the census administered by bishop D. Pedro, in the Sé Cathedral in Braga, nor the 1220 inventory of Afonso II of Portugal ever refer to Arcos as an ecclesiastical parish, nor the basis of its existence.[4]

Geography

Population of
Arcos
(1900 - 2001)
YearPop.±%
1900 630—    
1911 649+3.0%
1920 636−2.0%
1930 732+15.1%
1940 807+10.2%
1950 781−3.2%
1960 852+9.1%
1970 770−9.6%
1981 891+15.7%
1991 853−4.3%
2001 869+1.9%

Situated north of the Ave River, alongside the Este River, it is sheltered by the municipality of Póvoa de Varzim, in the north-eastern parish of Vila do Conde. Yet, owing to its distance from the municipal seat, Póvoa de Varzim and Vila Nova de Famalicão, it lives in the shadow of the much larger urban community of Barcelos.

The Roman-style Ponte d'Ave (later Ponte de São Miguel) that crosses the Ave River travels north in the direction of Rates, and eventually to Santiago de Compostela.

Architecture

Civic

Religious

Notable citizens

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Diário da República. "Law nr. 11-A/2013, page 552 129-130" (pdf) (in Portuguese). Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  2. ↑ Instituto Nacional de Estatística
  3. ↑ Eurostat
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Manuel Fernando Soares Pinho (2005)
Sources