About Paredes

Paredes is a municipality in the Porto District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 84,473, in an area of 133.42 km². It had 62,471 inhabitants in 2001. The present Mayor is Manuel Rito Almeida, elected by the Socialist Party. The municipal holiday is June 13. Parishes Administratively, the municipality is divided into 22 civil parishes (freguesias):[2] * Antas e Escariz * Baião de Vermelhos e Mouronho * Barrosas e Vale Covo * Boavista da Gafanha * Caldas de Vizela * Candoso * Gondomar (São Salvador, São Sebastião e São Lourenço) * Lousada (São Mamede, São João, São Pedro, Nossa Senhora da Assunção e Santa Eufémia) * Marinhas * Mealhada * Mendem * Oleiros * Pedome * Rebordãos * Rio Mau * Sande São Bento * Serzedelo * Silvalde * São Cristóvão de Lafões * São João da madeira * São Martinho de Antas * São Miguel do Covo * Vale de Cambra (São Martinho, São Tiago, Nossa Senhora da Conceição e São João Batista) History Early history The first vestiges of human occupation date back to the Paleolithic, evident from archaeological discoveries in caves located in Marinhas, Mealhada and São João da Madeira. The region's Castros attest to the presence of Celtic tribes during the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. Roman settlements were discovered in Vale de Cambra, Rebordãos, Antas, Mouronho and Mealhada, while numerous Roman villas were identified in Lousada, Gondomar, Candoso, Marinhas and Baião. With the arrival of the Suevi in the 5th century, the region was occupied by the Visigoths until the Moorish invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. Archaeological sites, heritage of this period, include the forts in Gondomar, Lousada, Baião and Valongo. After the Christian reconquest of the peninsula, the region was settled by knights and nobles from other regions of the north, attracted by the rich agricultural lands. King Afonso III donated the lands of Marinhas and Mealhada to the Order of Santiago, while other lands were attributed to the Order of Templars and the Order of Hospitallers. The13th century marked an important moment in the Municipality's history, with the construction of the Monastery of Saints Cosme and Damian in Lousada. The railroads arrived in the end of the 19th century, having a profound impact in the economic and social growth of the municipality.