History
The toponymy of the region comes from the Latin term filicarias, who means land of the fetos, Portuguese for ferns. Its origin, came from Roman explorers in the region:
- "...well established in Cárquere, the Romans did not decease the exploration the area...in the direction of mount São Cristóvão, they encountered ferns in all directions...Felgueiras appeared in that way, by name, linked to the Roman colony of Cárquere and, certainly, in its primordial history."
Yet, its settlement did not begin with the Romans. In the mountains of São Cristóvão, around Felgueiras, several mounds have been discovered, remnants of castros dating back to the Neolithic. Digs in September 1994, near the Chapel of São Cristóvão (under the direction of Eduardo Jorge) discovered remnants of a megalithic cromlechs and other constructions, dating to the third or fourth millennium A.D., used as an astronomic observatory. The cromlech was used as a calendar to mark the seasons and/or as a sanctuary for tribal divinities. Historians continue to refer to these settlements as pre-Celtic, which could have been the Ligures or Turduli, common in the Iberian peninsula.
Moorish occupation in the region led to the names common in the toponymy, such as Alcoreiro, Albaredo and Alborda. The appearance of Sanfins and São Cristóvão, after the Reconquista in the 10th and 11th century. Felgueiras first appeared in the 13th century (1258), during the inventory and administrative inquiries of King Afonso III, as part of the Honra de Resende, which pertained to the descendents of Egas Moniz. In these documents the first settlements in the area of Felgueiras were identified: Firoos (Ferrós), Veyroos, Pumeiral (Pimeirol), Vineais (Vinhais) and Cyringos, which all belong to the parish of Felgueiras. In a 1227 document, Domingos Mendes donates the parish to the Monastery of Salzedas, on his death in order to find absolution and in order to be buried in the Monastery, in addition to receiving the benefits of the Order of Cister.
Another document, in 1234, from Dórdia Pires donated to small home in Felgueiras to the monastery. Likewise, in 1229, Alda Vasques donated two residences in Felgueiras, one in Ceringos and two in Pimentel. When King Manuel provided a foral (royal charter) in 1513 to the Honra de Resende, Felgueiras became a parish of the municipality, under the jurisdiction of the noble of Resende.
The first building dedicated to the local Junta de Freguesia (Portuguese: parish council), was constructed in 1981, in Outeiro do Espírito Santo, along the road from Felgueiras to Monte de São Cristóvão.
Read more about this topic: Felgueiras (Resende)
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