Gandra
Gandra is known for a parish history recorded since around 1220 and a church probably built around 1702, with a baroque interior. Read on for a 19th-century manor house linked to a viscount, and the 1832 battle at Ponte Ferreira, when an army camped on its hills.
0 breweries · 0 venues
Gandra is a city in the municipality of Paredes, raised from town to city by a law approved on 1 July 2003. Its parish is old: a roll of churches from around 1220 lists "Sanctus Michael de Gandera" in the diocese of Porto, and the royal inquiries ordered by King Afonso III in 1258 record the church of São Miguel. Parish records were begun here by Abbot Bento Dias in 1570.
The parish church was probably built around 1702, the year of contracts for its stonework and woodwork; its façade is neoclassical and its interior baroque, and Gandra's oldest surviving bell dates from 1706. The Casa do Comendador, also known as Casa das Fontaínhas, was built in 1853 and was home to the parents of Faustino Coelho Moreira, made Viscount of Rebordosa in 1900, while the original Casa da Lousa may date from 1718, according to an inscription on one of its stones.
During the Liberal Wars, on 23 July 1832, the Battle of Ponte Ferreira was fought around the bridge over the River Ferreira, with the Miguelist army drawn up on the hills beyond Granja, in Gandra parish, on the far bank; for more than twelve hours neither side gained a clear advantage. In the Parish Memories of 1758, Gandra had two hermitages, one at Fontaínhas and one at Vilarinho de Cima, where people gathered in great numbers for the feast of São Sebastião on 20 January.
The craft beer scene in Gandra is still waiting to be discovered. With Paredes and Porto close by, travellers can look around the wider area to see what is being poured nearby.
No places listed here yet.
Frequently asked questions
Gandra is a city in the municipality of Paredes, not far from Porto. It was raised from town to city by a law approved on 1 July 2003, although its parish is much older, recorded as Sanctus Michael de Gandera in a roll of churches of the diocese of Porto from around 1220.
The parish church, probably built around 1702, has a neoclassical façade and a baroque interior, and the oldest surviving bell dates from 1706. The Casa do Comendador, or Casa das Fontaínhas, was built in 1853, while the original Casa da Lousa may date from 1718, according to an inscription on one of its stones.
On 23 July 1832 the Battle of Ponte Ferreira was fought around the bridge over the River Ferreira, with the Miguelist army drawn up on the hills beyond Granja, in Gandra parish, on the far bank. For more than twelve hours of fighting, neither side gained a clear advantage.
The feast of São Sebastião on 20 January has deep roots here: the Parish Memories of 1758 record two hermitages in Gandra, at Fontaínhas and Vilarinho de Cima, where people gathered in great numbers for it. Parish records themselves go back to 1570, begun by Abbot Bento Dias.