Panoramic view of Senhora da Mó

Geossítio 24 Panoramic view of Senhora da Mó

The splendor of the Arouca valley!

When you arrive in the town of Arouca, it’s almost impossible not to be struck by the hill of Senhora da Mó and its chapel. Arouca is a land strongly marked by “Moorish” legends and this little chapel bears witness to this. Inside, a painting from 1827 tells us that in 1027 a Christian, trapped in a corn chest with a millstone on top and a Moor sitting on it, made his supplications to Our Lady for help. To the amazement of the Moor, whom the Christian forgave, his prayers were answered. At the ringing of the bell, the next day, by a miracle, the Christian was freed. The festival in honor of Our Lady of the Millstone, patron saint of the fields, crops and animals and protector against droughts and thunderstorms, is one of the most significant gatherings among the inhabitants of the Moldes valley and Arouca and takes place every year on September 7 and 8. It is said that Nossa Senhora da Mó is one of the “six sisters”, since from its chapel you can see an equal number of hermitages of Marian invocation, located on orographic elevations around it: Senhora do Monte (Arouca), Senhora da Laje (Arouca), Senhora de Santa Maria do Monte (Arouca), Senhora das Amoras (Castelo de Paiva), Senhora do Castelo (Cinfães) and Senhora da Guia (Oliveira de Azeméis).

From this geosite you can enjoy a beautiful panoramic view. From here you can see the Arda valley, as far as the Serra da Freita mountains and the Gamarão mountains. You can also see the Pedra Má geosite, a very hard and resistant rocky outcrop that divides this valley and is said to have prevented the passage of sediment by the River Arda. This sediment now fills and cuts the valley, making it fertile and conducive to the settlement of communities. On clear days, to the NW you can still see the Porto region.

The Senhora da Mó Chapel is part of the Iter Hominis Historic Centre route.

Este geossítio faz parte do itinerário B: Through the mines and unknown corners of Paiva.
Saiba mais sobre a Rota dos Geossítios .

Informação Geológica

The Senhora da Mó Panoramic Geosite is located overlooking the town of Arouca. It has a very central position in relation to the Arouca Geopark territory, allowing visitors to get a general idea of its geomorphology.

The Arouca alveolus stands out here, where the urban center of Arouca is located, based on quartzodiorite rocks (Arouca Quartzodiorite), whose petrographic characteristics give it a particular propensity for alteration, enhanced and increased by the lines of tectonic fragility, with a predominant E-W direction. The Arouca alveolus is drained by the River Arda, a tributary of the Douro, and is surrounded to the south by the Freita mountain range and to the north by the Gamarão elevations. Downstream, as a result of the contact between the quartzodiorite and ante-ordovician metasediments, a corneum was formed, a rock locally known as “Pedra Má>” (G40), whose high hardness and low alterability may have acted as a barrier, contributing to the retention of alteration materials in the Arouca alveolus, preventing them from flowing into the River Arda. These sediments, the result of recent erosion (Pleistocene, <2.5 million years ago) of the mountains and valleys, gave rise to the fertile agricultural soils that exist here and which have been one of the main reasons for the settlement of communities in this region over time.

The hill of Senhora da Mó is also a place of religious worship. Here stands a chapel, with very peculiar contours, in honor of Senhora da Mó who, legend has it, saved a Christian from enslavement by the Moors. Trapped inside a box with a millstone on top, he took advantage of the knots in the rope to pray fervently, achieving the miracle of liberation. For this reason, every year, on September 7 and 8, the feast is celebrated in honor of her who is considered the patron saint of the fields, crops and animals and protector against droughts and thunderstorms. It is said that Nossa Senhora da Mó is one of the “six sisters”, since from her chapel it is possible to see an equal number of hermitages of Marian invocation, located on orographic elevations around her: Senhora do Monte (Arouca), Senhora da Laje (Arouca), Senhora de Santa Maria do Monte (Arouca), Senhora das Amoras (Castelo de Paiva), Senhora do Castelo (Cinfães) and Senhora da Guia (Oliveira de Azeméis).