Aug24

the old rooster of barcelos. (galo de barcelos)

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i have always been drawn to legends, fables, myths, and folk and fairy tales

and also have a love of tiny things

that is how this tiny painted ceramic rooster

 came to travel home with me from portugal

not much bigger than a coin

but a mighty symbol

 its presence is deeply intertwined with portuguese culture,

symbolizing the values of integrity, righteousness, and the pursuit of justice.

—

the tale that started it all:

The folk tale of the rooster of Barcelos, tells the story of a dead rooster’s miraculous intervention in proving the innocence of a man who had been falsely convicted and sentenced to death. The story is associated with the 17th-century calvary that is part of the collection of the Archaeological Museum located in Paço dos Condes, a gothic-style palace in Barcelos, Portugal.
According to the tale, a landowner in Barcelos had stolen silver and the inhabitants of that city were looking for the thief. A man became a suspect, despite his pleas of innocence.  He swore that he was merely passing through Barcelos on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela to fulfill a promise. Nevertheless, the authorities arrested the man and condemned him to hang.
The man asked them to take him in front of the judge. Affirming his innocence, the man pointed to a roasted rooster on top of the banquet table and exclaimed, “It is as certain that I am innocent as that rooster will crow when they hang me.” The judge pushed aside his plate, deciding not to eat the rooster, but otherwise ignored the appeal.However, while the pilgrim was hanged, the roasted rooster stood up on the table and crowed as predicted. Understanding his error, the judge ran to the gallows, to discover that the man had been saved from death thanks to a poorly made knot. The man was immediately freed.Some years later, he returned to Barcelos to  sculpt the Calvary (or Crucifix) to the Lord of the Rooster (Portuguese: “Cruzeiro do Senhor do Galo“) The monument is located in the Barcelos Archaeological Museum.

==

‘asleep in the legends of old.’

-John Keats, from The Feast of St. Agnes

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other interesting barcelos rooster facts:

In the 1990s U.S. sitcom Seinfeld, Elaine’s first apartment is shown furnished in kitschy style, cluttered with bric-a-brac, including a rooster of Barcelos.

The cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada in Spain keeps two live chickens in remembrance of the local version of the event.
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source credits: rooster camisa, we are portugal

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50 responses »

  2. A great story and legend, and roosters are phenomenal animals! And can they fight! In Andalucía there are many rooster fights and people bet money on the roosters. I have only seen them in videos, but they are amazing!

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