Cape Santo André (Portuguese for Saint Andrew) is a cape located in the Northern coast of continental

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, in Santo André, municipality of

Póvoa de Varzim Póvoa de Varzim (, ) is a Portugal, Portuguese city in Norte Region, Portugal, Northern Portugal and sub-region of Greater Porto, from its city centre. It sits in a sandy coastal plain, a cuspate foreland, halfway between the Minho River, Minho ...

. It is the tip of Póvoa de Varzim's

cuspate foreland Cuspate forelands, also known as cuspate barriers or nesses in Britain, are geographical features found on coastlines and lakeshores that are created primarily by longshore drift.Craig-Smith, S. J., Cuspate Forelands. In: M. L. Schwartz, ed. 2005. ...

. It is probably the old Roman ''Avarius'', ''Auarius Promontorium'' or ''Auaron Promontorium'' (In Ancient Greek, ) referred by

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importance ...

, geographer of

Ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of Classical Antiquity, classical antiquity ( AD 600), th ...

, in the territory of the Callaici Bracares, between the river Avus (

Ave River Ave River ( pt, Rio Ave; ) is a river in Northern Portugal. It has its source in the Cabreira Mountain (Serra da Cabreira) in the Minho Region. In its course passes through the cities of Guimaraes , Vizela , Santo Tirso , Trofa and Vila do ...

) and river Nebis (Neiva River).

Geography

The cape has a small sheltered beach between its boulders known as Dois Cabos Beach, literally two headlands beach. It is the westernmost point in Póvoa de Varzim and the center of Póvoa de Varzim triangular shaped territory that enters into the sea and is surrounded by the Atlantic by the north and south. The cape has iconic views over coastal northern Portugal. The northern coves of Póvoa de Varzim and the city are visible to the South and the sand dunes of Coastal Northern Portugal Parkland in

Esposende Esposende () is a city and a municipality in Braga District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 34,254, in an area of 95.41 km². The city itself (the parish Esposende, Marinhas e Gandra) had a population of 9,197 in 2001. It gained cit ...

and the

Minho river The Minho ( , ) or Miño ( , , ; cel-x-proto, Miniu) is the longest river in Galicia, sharing the border with Portugal, with a length of . By discharge, it is the fourth river of the Iberian peninsula, after the Douro, Ebro, and Tagus. The Min ...

rocky cliffs can be seen to the North.

Flora

The cape has a native dune flora, including ''

Honckenya peploides ''Honckenya peploides'', the sea sandwort (UK) or seaside sandplant (Canada), is the only species in the genus ''Honckenya'' of the plant family Caryophyllaceae. Other common names include sea chickweed, sea pimpernal, sea-beach sandwort, and sea ...

'', '' Otanthus maritimus'', ''

Eryngium maritimum ''Eryngium maritimum'', the sea holly or sea eryngo, or sea eryngium, is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae and native to most European coastlines. It resembles a plume thistle in appearance on account of its burr-sha ...

'', ''

Ammophila arenaria ''Ammophila arenaria'' is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is known by the common names marram grass and European beachgrass. It is one of two species of the genus '' Ammophila''. It is native to the coastlines of Europe and North Afr ...

'', ''

Juncus acutus ''Juncus acutus'', the spiny rush, sharp rush or sharp-pointed rush, is a flowering plant in the monocot family Juncaceae found throughout the Americas, Northern and Southern Africa, Western and Southern Europe and West Asia. It grows in salt m ...

'', ''

Silene littorea ''Silene littorea'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. The species is an annual plant. The species has the gynodioecy–gynomonoecy sexual system. It is one of the most studied species with this sexual system. Dist ...

'', and several other species, although most of the cape is dominated by the invasive species ''

Carpobrotus edulis ''Carpobrotus edulis'' is a ground-creeping plant with succulent leaves in the genus ''Carpobrotus'', native to South Africa. Its common names include hottentot-fig, sour fig, ice plant or highway ice plant. Description ''Carpobrotus edulis'' ...

''.

Religion and beliefs

Near the cape are Saint Andrew's chapel and Rock, to which Povoan fishermen dedicate a night pilgrimage along the beach on the last day of November. The sandy pilgrimage way is also part of the demarcated Coastal Way of Saint James, that goes along the beaches and it is increasingly popular. Pilgrims reach an easier-to-cross beach walkway in Quião, towards the cape and

Santo André Beach Santo André Beach (''Praia de Santo André'' in Portuguese, lit. "Saint Andrew Beach") is an extensive and wide maritime beach of Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal. It is located in Santo André, between the A Ver-o-Mar and Aguçadoura. It borders Cape ...

. The cape presents impressive scenery with numerous tide pools during low tide. The chapel is of probable medieval origin, early references are found in a document from 1546 and in other earlier ones. The chapel was built using vernacular architecture, however its art is mostly neoclassical. The icons from the chapel date to the 17th century; a 15th-century icon from the chapel is preserved in

Braga Braga ( , ; cel-x-proto, Bracara) is a city and a municipality, capital of the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality has a resident population of 193,333 inhabitants (in ...

Pius XII Museum The Pius XII Museum (in Portuguese: Museu Pio XII) is located in Braga, Portugal, in the same building of the Museum Medina, as the name from the Pope Pius XII. The collection of the museum comprise Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age impleme ...

. There was ancient cult activity in Póvoa de Varzim, shown by hints of Stone Age paintings and Roman activity at the site. Superstition regarding this site remains strong in the local populace, as can be seen in the placement of tiny rocks in a niche sculpted in the rocks or in the chapel itself, or in the ceremonial burning of candles used by mainstream Catholic rituals or

white magic White magic has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for selfless purposes. Practitioners of white magic have been given titles such as wise men or women, healers Alternative medicine is any practice that aims t ...

. The people believe the chapel's saint helps in fisheries and arranging marriages. In order to get married girls threw a tiny stone to the roof of the chapel; if the stone didn't fall from it, a marriage would occur soon. According to local legends, Saint Andrew is the boatman of souls, and fishes cadavers from shipwrecks. Several victims found near the cape were buried below the chapel. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cape Santo Andre Santo Andre, Cape Geography of Póvoa de Varzim Tourist attractions in Póvoa de Varzim