This walk starts in the centre of Carvoeira, in the municipality of Mafra. Once we've travelled through some of the town's streets, we'll head towards the valley of the River Lizandro, pass the Chapel of Senhora do Ó and further on we'll reach the splendid scenery of Foz do Lizandro beach. We continue in the direction of Praia de S. Julião, then climb up to Pobral and once again join the route that will take us back to our starting point.

Carvoeira

The name Carvoeira is presumably due to the fact that in the past, boats were loaded with coal bound for Lisbon by the old bridge, which is thought to be Roman.

This land enjoyed a curious privilege: at the place where the river that runs through the parish flows into the sea, there was a lookout point, called a facho, where a fire was lit when a Moorish vessel was sighted. The inhabitants of the parish were exempt from being soldiers, but on the other hand, they were obliged to stand sentry at this spot, lighting a fire if necessary.

A Chapel of St Anthony, a Chapel of St Julian and Church of Our Lady of Ó are worth mentioning in terms of the parish's artistic heritage. Next to the old bridge, which has now been altered, is the Church of Nossa Senhora do Ó, whose date of construction remains uncertain. The porch and wall served as a trench in a battle fought in 1585 between a handful of Portuguese, led by Mateus Álvares, who became known as the false king D. Sebastião, and two companies of Spanish infantry. The church fell into disrepair as the river flooded the valley every few years and even served as a nest for rats that damaged valuable 18th century missals. When its walls were already cracking and jeopardising the structure of the building, it was restored in 1983. Five years later, it was raided again, losing almost all the images, including that of Our Lady of Ó. O sundial, on one of the cornerstones, dates from 1763. At the top of the coast, overlooking the ocean, stands the Chapel of St Julian, presumably from the 16th century despite the date 1768 inscribed on the main door, which must be when it was rebuilt after the earthquake. The interior is lined with eighteenth-century tiles depicting the life of St Julian. The sundial dates from 1754 and the cross from 1764.

Bread of O

Presented on 1 November 2014, as part of the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the parish's charter, Pão do Ò is the result of the Carvoeira Parish Council's will and the art and ingenuity of Café Fuso, where it is sold to order.

We looked to our origins for what we could bring to our regional sweet and so... pão do Ó could only have been born in the parish of Carvoeira, since, following an old sponge cake recipe, it is black as coal, due to the origin of the name Carvoeira, and in honour of Our Lady of Ó, our patron saint, each cake has an “Ó”, which is the adaptation of the ovoid shape of her womb and which symbolises life, hope and fertility.

- Carvoeira Mother Church - Lizandro River Valley - Nossa Senhora do Ó Chapel - Foz do Lizandro Beach - S. Julião Beach - S. Julião Chapel - Lizandro River - Beaches and coastal areas - Natural landscapes -