The Legend of Our Lady of Salto
There are many versions for this legend, but the best known is the one of a knight who, in a morning of fog, was chasing a deer (some versions say it was a hare) in the
The deer - representing the Devil in disguised - was running towards the abyss, trying to fool the knight. His horse got scared and when the knight notice it was too late and they were already over the cliff at
That’s when Our Lady appears and the miracle happens as the floor became soft as wax, and the horse landed on the other side of the river, resulting on the marks made on the rock that even today it’s possible to see (although I think that you must, also, bring a little imagination). This became a century’s old legend and also the most important of the Sousa’s Valley region.
In honour and recognition to Our Lady, the knight thanked the miracle building a small chapel and a small image of the Lady of Salto (Salto = Jump) - the chapel is real ;-)
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There's also a local legend associated to the place!
Read the journal that I wrote about it, and found out more on this very popular tale!
After this visit I suggest that you check on the local gastronomy, that I’m fan of, and taste the wine of the Sousa Region, which is part of the “Vinho Verde” wine region, a particular kind of wine found only in a small part of Portugal (really unique on a worldwide basis).
There are several good restaurants around the cities and municipalities of Paredes and Penafiel…
