Peter of Rates ( pt, Pedro de Rates), also known in English as Peter of Braga, is traditionally considered to be the first

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

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 ...

between the years AD 45 and 60. Tradition says he was ordered to preach the Christian faith by

James the Great James the Great, also known as James, son of Zebedee, Saint James the Great, Saint James the Greater, Saint James the Elder, or Saint Jacob (Aramaic ܝܥܩܘܒ ܒܪ ܙܒܕܝ, Arabic يعقوب, Hebrew בן זבדי , '' Yaʿăqōḇ'', Latin '' ...

, and that Peter of Rates was martyred while attempting to convert the locals to the Christian faith in northern Portugal. The ancient ''Breviary of Braga'' (''Breviarium Bracarense'') and the ''Breviary of Evora'' hold that Peter of Rates was a disciple of James and preached at Braga. However, the

Bollandists The Bollandist Society ( la, Societas Bollandistarum french: Société des Bollandistes) are an association of scholars, philologists, and historians (originally all Jesuits, but now including non-Jesuits) who since the early seventeenth century h ...

say that this claim is "purely traditional."López Bardón, Tirso. "Archdiocese of Braga." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 14 November 2021

Life

The document holds that James, one of the apostles of Christ, visited the northwest of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

in AD 44. One of his alleged visits occurred at Serra de Rates, in the current municipality of

Póvoa de Varzim Póvoa de Varzim (, ) is a Portuguese city in 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 and Douro rivers. In 2001, there were 63,470 ...

. During his visit, the apostle is said to have ordained the local Peter of Rates as the first bishop of Braga. This is probably a myth, given that it is proven that James was celebrating

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

precisely in this year. It is believed that Peter of Rates was

beheaded Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the ...

while converting believers of the Roman religion to the Christian faith.

The discovery of Peter's body

Centuries later, around the 9th century, the discovery of Peter's body was attributed to

Felix the Hermit Saint Felix the Hermit ( pt, São Félix o Eremita) was a 9th-century fisherman and hermit, who is venerated as a saint in Portugal. Legend Felix was from Villa Mendo, an actual ancient Roman villa that existed until the early years of the Kingd ...

, a fisherman of Villa Mendo, an ancient Roman

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...

that existed until the early years of the Kingdom of Portugal, and rediscovered in the 20th century under the

sand dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...

of Rio Alto in Estela, also in Póvoa de Varzim. Felix had left home and settled in the biggest hill of the area, which is today known as

São Félix Hill São Félix Hill or Mount São Félix, ''Monte de São Félix'' in Portuguese, is the highest hill in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal, as measured by the height above sea level of its summit, . São Félix is the north of the two hills east of the city ...

. According to legend, Félix regularly observed a light in the darkness of the night from the hill. One day, curious about the light's origins, Felix came upon the body of Peter of Rates. On that spot, the Romanesque Monastery of Rates was built, and the

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

kept there until 1552; in that year the body was transferred to

Braga Cathedral The Cathedral of Braga ( pt, Sé de Braga) is a Roman Catholic church in the northern city of Braga, Portugal. Due to its long history and artistic significance, it is also one of the most important buildings in the country. It is the seat of the ...

, where it is still kept. Scientific studies suggest that the body kept in Braga is from a 9th-century child. São Pedro de Rates

Miraculous fountains

In the civil parishes of Balasar and Rates in Póvoa de Varzim, there are two fountains that the population believes are miraculous because they were used by Peter. In the 18th century, there are descriptions that Peter of Rates was beheaded while drinking the waters of the fountain in Balasar. The population believes that two indentations on the fountain are impressions from his knees. At the fountain of Rates, a stone is believed to cure in cases of sterility. Due to that belief, on 26 April every year, the

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...

of Saint Peter of Rates, the pregnant women and female animals do not work in some villages.

References

External links

St. Peter of Braga
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peter Of Rates 60 deaths Portuguese Roman Catholic saints Bishops of Braga People from Póvoa de Varzim 1st-century bishops in Hispania Burials at Braga Cathedral 1st-century Christian martyrs Year of birth unknown Christian martyrs executed by decapitation Portuguese legends