Legends
surrounding Nossa Senhora da Conceição, our patroness
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The
statue of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, our patroness, can be
visited at Igreja Matriz, a church right in the middle of our
commercial center. The mistery and enchantement of its story
retraces to the year 1632 when it came to our community .
Measuring nothing but some few feet, the statue is, however,
maybe the most charismatic religious symbol of Angra dos Reis.
Originally, the statue had another destination, but when the
ship reached our region the weather made it impossible for it to
go on with its journey. The ship then was forced to anchor at
our port and wait for better weather, but whenever the comandant
tried to follow he was overtaken by furious storms. And so
happened for three times, until the navigators finally decide
that the statue of Nossa Senhora da Conceição should stay in
Angra dos Reis. The storms where regarded as being signals from
God warning that the satue should stay here and nowhere else.
The comandant sold it to the church and then, only then, the
ship could leave our bay.
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Legends
surrounding Chafariz da Carioca, a fountain raised in 1824
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The
most famous legend regarding this fountain says that those who drink
from the middle spout (the fountain bears five spouts), will feel
permanently attracted to Angra dos Reis. Many of those who were once
mere visitors and, for some reason, came back to live here even long
after having drunk from Chafariz da Carioca, regard it as being true.
Another
popular legend narrates the story of two adolescents who once met in
the surroundings of the fountain in a full moon night. From that
moment on an intense love arouse between them, a love strong enough
to challenge all the prejudices and prohibitions of that age. The
girl belonged to the aristocracy and the boy was a simple fisher, a
plebeian. Despite the risks they ran, the couple used to meet in
full moon nights, always in that same place, where eternal love
oaths would be taken. Unfortunately they were caught and their
affair was forced to an end, thus depriving them of each other.
However, the young fisher, in spite of his lover’s absence,
continued to visit the same place every full moon night. According
to the legend one could hear his laments in form of chant and poetry,
laments that imbued that place with the eternal and purest romantic
sentiment.
Up
to our days many people still believe that such a sentiment remains,
that there is still something “in the air”. Meeting here under a
full moon may open the way to an endless love affair, blessed by our
legendary couple.
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