Points of Interest

Ribeiro de Gondim Park

Inaugurated in December 2018, the Ribeiro de Gondim Park is a public ecological corridor designed to promote the preservation, enhancement, sustainability, and appreciation of the Gondim stream and its surrounding natural environment. Here, visitors can observe species typical of riparian ecosystems, such as damselflies, salamanders, and birds commonly found in agricultural habitats, including doves, sparrows, and jays. Covering an area of 25,000 m², the park is well-suited for physical exercise.

Municipal Park

Located near Av. April 25th, Arouca Municipal Park invites you to enjoy moments of peace in the heart of the historic center. Here is the statue of Saint Queen Mafalda. Very close by is the Arouca Municipal Library, the Terreiro de Santa Mafalda and the Arouca Monastery. It has a children’s playground, a 5-a-side football pitch and a car park.

Municipal Museum of Arouca

The Municipal Museum of Arouca was symbolically inaugurated on International Museum Day, in 2008, and seeks to preserve the memories and traditions of a markedly rural people, but also to note the vast archaeological and geological heritage and also the biodiversity of our municipality. Located near one of the entrances to the village, it has a space dedicated to the permanent exhibition and, at the same time, has a space for temporary exhibitions. In short, the Municipal Museum is a space where you can get to know Arouca and the journey of its people in a living space that awaits your visit.

Arouca City Council

The City Hall of Arouca is the municipal body of this municipality and is responsible for promoting the development of the municipality in all areas of life, such as health, education, social action and housing, environment and basic sanitation, territorial planning and urban planning, transport and communication, public supply, sports and culture, consumer protection and civil protection.

Republican National Guard

Millennium Park

With an attractive green space, multi-sports area and playground, Parque Milênio is a public space of reference for Arouca residents and visitors.

Finance

Museum of Sacred Art

The Arouca Museum of Sacred Art is located in the Monastery of Santa Maria de Arouca, in the Historic Center of the Town. As the history of Arouca can never be dissociated from the history of its Monastery, it is in the Museum of Sacred Art that we find evidence of this history, represented in painting, sculpture, goldsmithing, furniture and various religious objects. Since 1933, the people of Arouca, thanks to the Royal Brotherhood of Queen Saint Mafalda, have managed to preserve the valuable collection that we can admire today, as well as the grandeur of the Monastery itself and its invaluable interior decoration. The Museum has a rich legacy of precious objects such as manuscripts, clothing, jewelry and others, and is considered one of the most important private national museums of sacred art.

Chapel of Mercy

In the oldest square in Arouca, right in the heart of the village, we find the Chapel of Misericórdia. Built just a few meters from the main door of the Monastery of Santa Maria de Arouca, in Praça Brandão de Vasconcelos, this is a religious building from the 16th century. Its construction is linked to the development of the Confraternities, which provided social and religious assistance. The building has benefited from improvements over time, so it is possible to see different artistic styles here. Thus, Mannerist, Baroque and Neoclassical characteristics stand out. It is a small building, flanked by a private house and the old County Jail. Looking at its exterior, you will be able to see, prominently, the bell tower. Despite its seemingly small dimensions, this Chapel has a lot to offer to those who visit it. To realize its full dimension, you must enter and enjoy the interior decorative program. This is made up of just one nave, where the beautiful blue and white tile panels stand out. You can also admire its paneled ceiling with oil paintings, which tell us stories from the life of Christ, as well as the rich details in gilded carving, which make its interior even more beautiful.

Chapel of Saint Anthony

This small chapel is made up of a main chapel and a main chapel; It has a rectangular plan and its body dates from the end of the 19th century. XVI (there is a thousandth engraved above the entry: 1599). In the century. In the 18th century the chancel was added, decorated with a dark cross placed at the top vertex, with two pinnacles in line with the corners, marked by pilasters. The body has regular rows of stonework, without pilasters at the corners, with the walls topped by a light time-frame. The main door is rectangular, with the jambs and lintel running along the same frames; the side shutters and the slight gap above them have beveled edges. On the wall, above the door, in addition to the aforementioned date, there is a small shield with the five crescents of the Pintos, a family represented in regional coats of arms. There is a rectangular gap and a stop on the right shoulder; from the same period is a small octagonal benedict.

Church of the Monastery of Santa Maria de Arouca

Located in the Monastery of Santa Maria de Arouca, in the heart of the historic center, the Church of the Monastery is majestic and dominating, displaying exuberant paintings, sculptures and abundant gilded carvings. It is a place of retreat and prayer, but also a space for contemplation. The nave of the church is rectangular, divided vertically into two parts: the lower part cut into arches for chapels and the upper part with windows-tribunes. You can see niches with statues of the Benedictine order. The main chapel, narrow and square in shape, has an altarpiece made by the carver Vieira da Cruz (1723) and gilded in 1733, in the Joanine style. In the altarpiece, on the right side, is the reliquary urn of Saint Mafalda, with an ebony structure and silver and gilded bronze applications, with crystal plates on the front and sides, to allow the Queen’’’’’’’’s body to be seen. The altars are decorated in gilded carving, with sculptures of saints in polychrome wood.

Arouca Geopark Interactive Tourism Store

The Arouca Geopark Interactive Tourism Shop is a true “gateway” to nature tourism. Integrated into the network of spaces of the Regional Tourism Authority of Porto and North of Portugal, and equipped with an auditorium, this store is the ideal space to welcome tourists. It was inaugurated on September 19, 2013.

Arouca Municipal Library

The Municipal Library was opened on July 20, 1967, by the City Hall of Arouca, in the building that today houses the headquarters of ADRIMAG, in Praça Brandão de Vasconcelos, known as the “Old Jail”, in partnership with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, which held the bibliographic collection and ensured its circulation and loan in the municipality, through its famous brown vans. With the signing of the first Program Contract carried out in December 1987, between the State Secretariat for Culture and the ex. The Portuguese Institute of Books and Reading (current General Directorate of Books and Libraries) and the Municipal Council of Arouca, began the project to requalify the building adjacent to the Monastery of Arouca, known as “Casa dos Padres” or “Velho Hospital”, which, through the architectural project of Arq. Manuel de Queiroz was redesigned so that the Municipal Library of Arouca could gain autonomy, grow and be properly installed in order to ensure all the functions and services of a public library.

Monastery of Santa Maria de Arouca

On the main avenue of the town, the Monastery of Santa Maria de Arouca rises sumptuously, in perfect harmony with Brandão de Vasconcelos Square across the street and the Chapel of Mercy in front. It is considered the largest granite construction of its kind in Portugal, and its walls have many stories to tell. Originally built in the 10th century, the monastery has undergone significant transformations. The structure we see today is the result of changes made throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Its monastic activity was the driving force behind the economic, social, and culinary development of the region, which flourished around it. The Monastery of Santa Maria de Arouca is divided into two main sections: the North Wing, which includes the Church and the Choir, and the East and West Wings. The Church is open to visitors at any time of day. The other areas can also be visited, but only during specific opening hours. Exclusively a female monastery from the 12th century onward, it became home to D. Mafalda, a granddaughter of Portugal’s first king. She was responsible for its transition to the Cistercian Order. By the time of her death, the convent had become one of the most important in the Iberian Peninsula. In the 18th century, D. Mafalda’s tomb was opened, revealing that her body was incorrupt. This led to her beatification. When visiting the Church of the Monastery, you will have the opportunity to see the body of D. Mafalda as it was found, preserved in a glass tomb adorned with ebony and silver ornaments. You can also admire the beautiful altar and the high choir, richly decorated with gilded woodcarving, as well as the Baroque choir stalls. In the Joanino style, the monastery’s majestic pipe organ is well worth close attention. If the opportunity arises, enjoy the sound of this unique piece. Built by Manuel Benito Gomez in 1743, it is one of the most important surviving examples from the first half of the 18th century. It features 1,352 pipes powered by 24 registers. From the East and West Wings, you can enjoy a lovely view of the Cloisters. Made up of two levels, supported by Doric columns on the lower floor and Ionic ones on the upper, they once served as passageways, reading areas, and prayer spaces for the nuns. They are an excellent starting point for exploring these wings.

Memorial Library of D. Domingos de Pinho Brandão

The D. Domingos de Pinho Brandão Study Center was founded in 1992 by a group of intellectuals and entities who found in the formation of this association a way to continue the scientific-cultural project of their patron. The President of the Eng.º António de Almeida Foundation, Dr. Fernando Aguiar-Branco, occupied the position of founding member, number one, followed by the President of the Municipal Council of Arouca, the President of the Rainha Santa Mafalda Social Center and the Judge of the Royal Brotherhood of Rainha Santa Mafalda. It was based in the Monastery of Arouca. Article 3 of the statutes clarifies the mission of the Study Center: “to continue the work of D. Domingos de Pinho Brandão in promoting culture, as the creation of a people situated in a time and place; and in researching and disseminating art, particularly that preserved in Arouca”.

Arda Ecopath

Located in the heart of the Arouca valley, the Arda Ecovia runs along the six parishes located here – Arouca and Burgo, Rossas, Santa Eulália, Urrô, Várzea and Tropeço, following the course of the Arda River. Along its almost 11 kilometers, which can be covered on foot or by bicycle, you will discover life in the valley and its rich natural and cultural heritage, the latter indelibly marked by the cultivation of the land. Learn more about this valley by consulting the panels along the route that provide information on the geology, biodiversity and history of this part of the Arouca UNESCO Global Geopark.