Balasar has deep roots in a very distant past, the time of the
megaliths, with two dolmens and one menhir, the time of the “outeiros” (ancient
sacred hills), the time of its four Gothic farms (villae).
The menhir
Perhaps even in the tenth century of our era, in the area that the
parish now occupies, two parishes were created, Saint Saviour of Gresufes and
Saint Eulalie of Lousadelo. Probably at the end of the twelfth century, the
church of Saint Eulalie was moved from Lousadelo to Matinho by Belsar. From him
is derived the name Balasar. In the fourteenth century, Gresufes and Balasar
were joined, but the union only became definitive in the mid-sixteenth century.
Ancient statue of Saint Eulalie
In medieval history, in the parish was known a royal inn in the
“reguengo” (set of royal land) of Gestrins. It is also noted that members
of the noble Correias family owned properties there, along with another noble
family, the Ferreiras d'Eça, and also religious institutions.
The family of Carneiros da Grã-Magriço
Gomes Carneiro, a member of the Carneiro family, from Vila do Conde,
married a young girl from Balasar in the second half of the sixteenth century.
From this couple originated the Garneiros da Grã-Magriço family.
In 1741, the teenager Benta Carneiro da Grã-Magriço married the wealthy
Manuel Nunes Rodrigues, who had made a fortune in Brazil. He built a rich
baroque chapel (Capela da Quinta), and his wife, when a widow, also endowed the
parish with an appreciable monument, a stone bridge of three arches over the
river Este.
Manuel Nunes Rodrigues built a rich baroque chapel
The marriage of D. Benta with Manuel Nunes Rodrigues, enriched the
family, and designed it for a socially relevant future: one son, who was an
alderman of the town of Póvoa de Varzim, built an excellent emblazoned
residence there. His granddaughter, marrying a member of the noblest family of
Azevedos, became the Viscountess of Azevedo. The couple, however, had no
descendants, which is what caused the extinction of the Carneiros da Grã-Magriço.
Destination of pilgrimage
In the eighteenth century, Balasar had two small
pilgrimage destinations, the spring of Holy
Peter of Rates and the Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy, both in the hamlet named
Casal. Holy Peter of Rates was then the patron of the Archdiocese of Braga and
the spring where he drank from was in the
parish, where legend claims that he had suffered persecution. The Chapel of Our
Lady of Mercy was built in 1737 by the military officer and merchant from
Balasar António da Costa Soares.
Old Statue of Our Lady of Mercy
The Holy Cross
On June 21, 1832, Portugal lived a remarkable moment in its history,
when a mysterious cross on the floor appeared in the hamlet of Calvary, a
little more than two dozen meters from the bridge of D. Benta.
This phenomenon, well documented, caused a deep impression and gave
place to great pilgrimage. The current Chapel of Holy Cross was built, and
another, larger, to the east. The pilgrimages that celebrated the anniversary
of the apparition became famous, but often ended with scenes of beatings. In
1903, a man died, and the priest stopped the revelry. From 1919, there were
attempts to revive it, but without success.
The Chapel of the Holy Cross was built by Custódio José da Costa and others
Notables
Throughout the ages, remarkable men and women, other than Blessed
Alexandrina, were born or lived at Balasar. Some of them have already been
mentioned. Others were: José Custódio da Costa, Luís Joaquim de Oliveira (he
healed the Queen D. Maria II), José António dos Santos (one of the first
officers of the municipality after liberalism), the Commander of Maranhão
(Brazil) José Pedro dos Santos, and a number of municipal councilors, such as
José Domingues Furtado (the modern first roads of the parish and primary school
came from his time), Manuel Joaquim de Almeida (continued the road renovation
and helped the construction of the church and the cemetery) and José António de
Sousa Ferreira. Also, several presidents of the Junta (parish council)
such as Joaquim António Machado, Lino Araújo ... and pastors (the poet António
Martins de Faria, Leopoldino Mateus ...), etc.
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