Águas Santas is a Portuguese town and

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

located in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Maia Maia (; Ancient Greek: Μαῖα; also spelled Maie, ; ), in ancient Greek religion and mythology, is one of the Pleiades and the mother of Hermes, one of the major Greek gods, by Zeus, the king of Olympus. Family Maia is the daughter of A ...

. The population in 2011 was 27,470, in an area of 8.23 km², making it one of the most densely populated towns in the

Porto District The Districts of Portugal, District of Porto ( ) is located on the north-west coast of Portugal. The district capital is the city of Porto, the second largest city in the country. It is bordered by the Aveiro (district), Aveiro and Viseu (distric ...

. It is located about 3.5 kilometers north of the city of

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

, near river Leça.

History

The first references to Águas Santas are found in a document dating from the year 1120, where

Pope Callixtus II Pope Callixtus II or Callistus II ( – 13 December 1124), born Guy of Burgundy, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from February 1119 to his death in 1124. His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy ...

mentions the monastery of ''Aquis Sanctis''.Coelho, M.J.P., "A Igreja de Águas Santas - Contribuição para o Estudo da História e Cronologia da sua Construção"
/ref> The origin of the parish of Águas Santas predates the formation of the nationality, and there are even traces of its existence as far back as the 6th century. However, the oldest known document dates back to 1405, and the records of 1120 include a reference to Sancta Marya Aquis Sanctis in a charter donated by the city of Porto to Bishop Hugo. Legend has it that the mother superior of a convent, hearing of the approach of the Romans, hid the image of the Virgin Mary near a fountain; when she unveiled it, she saw the image of Our Lady weeping. When the people heard the news, they called it the Fountain of Holy Water. Later, the church of the Convent of Águas Santas was built near the fountain. This would be the history of the name of the parish. It was an important award from the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta, or simply the Order of Malta, as it is better known today. For this reason, the cross of the Order of Malta is included in the municipal coat of arms. The seat of the parish, the village of Águas Santas, was promoted to town in 1986.

References

Towns in Portugal Freguesias of Maia, Portugal {{Porto-geo-stub

History

See also

References