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Description
The shrine to the Virgin Martyr St. Euphemia is built on a large area of 8 hectares of land. This area is divided into various spaces: The buildings area, with the chapel, the hermit's house and the almshouse and a multipurpose hall; the esplanade area for Eucharistic celebrations with a large stage; the wooded leisure area, with a children's playground, a bar, a barbecue, tables and toilets; a large wooded area which is used for the annual fair on September 15 and 16; and various parking areas with the highlight being the highest point where the soccer pitch is located with its changing rooms. The main chapel features the largest altarpiece, which in the center of the dressing room above the glory, has a majestic rock image representing Saint Euphemia, with two lions at her feet. On the left-hand wall of the chancel are nine ex-votos, dating from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. The two side altarpieces in the body of the chapel have the same artistic features as the main altarpiece, with the sculpture of Our Lady of Remedies in the left-hand niche and the sculpture of Saint Joseph in the right-hand niche. At the beginning of the 20th century, the bell tower, the hermit's house and the almshouse were built. In the last decades of the 20th century, land was bought around the sanctuary, which made it possible to build a fairground and parking lots. In 1955, the bishop of Lamego, João da Silva Campos Neves, issued a decree erecting the chapel of Santa Eufémia and its surrounding area as a shrine, making it one of only three shrines in Portugal dedicated to this Virgin Martyr. Its pilgrimage, which takes place on the 15th and 16th, has always been associated with a fair, where local products are sold, the famous "marrã" (pork) of Santa Eufémia is eaten and devotees pay their promises.