A place of ancient customs, the former episcopal centre of Miranda do Douro in northern Portugal ranks as one of the smallest cities in the whole of Europe.
Located deep in the heart of the remote Trás-os-Montes region, it was conquered by the Moors in 716 AD before being expelled by the Castilians in the late 11th century.
For centuries, Miranda do Douro was a key part of the string of fortified towns defending the north-eastern frontier, at the same time as being an important bishopric. It grew very prosperous for its trade with neighbouring Spain and became a major centre of culture and religion during the Renaissance period.
Today, many of the habits and traditions of this small but very enchanting city of just 2,000 inhabitants still have their roots in antiquity. Miranda do Douro even boasts its own language – Mirandese – a version of the Latin once common in the Iberian Peninsula which evolved from the Old Leonese spoken in the Kingdom of León in medieval times.
The city earned a place in British military history when the Duke of Wellington was hoisted across the river in a wicker basket suspended beneath a rickety rope bridge on the 29th of May 1813. The next day he led his forces over the border into Spain towards eventual victory in the Peninsular War with the famous cry, ‘Farewell Portugal, I shall never see you again!’.
Hugging the Spanish border in the north-eastern corner of Portugal, this diminutive place is set prominently on dizzying heights above the great gorge of the River Douro, whose torrents were reduced to a trickle by the adjacent dam that was officially inaugurated in 1961.
Miranda do Douro’s former 16th-century cathedral (now a co-cathedral) is a magnificent building with a wide west front flanked by two quadrangular bell-towers. Following Pope Paul III’s decision to create a diocese in Miranda do Douro in 1545, he decided to build the cathedral which opened in this isolated spot a few years later.
Where to go in northern Portugal
The cathedral’s interior is rich with religious treasures, most notably its gilded altars and some fine altarpieces, but arguably its star attraction is a statuette of the boy Jesus known locally as the Menino de Jesus da Cartolinha that depicts him in a top hat and bow tie!
Housed in a 17th-century building close to the cathedral, the excellent Terra de Miranda Museum showcases the unique cultural aspects of the local area, with pieces related to the city’s long history and rich heritage, including items of traditional clothing, several important archaeological finds and a reconstruction of a Mirandese farmhouse parlour.
Some of the streets surrounding the cathedral are lined with handsome old burghers’ houses dating back to the 16th century, some of which are adorned with their original coats-of-arms and some exquisite Manueline ornamentation.
When visiting Miranda do Douro (indicated on the map below), look out for the pauliteiros, a group of local dancers famous for their distinctive stick dance called the dança dos paulitos, which has long-been a key feature of the city’s cultural identity for many centuries.
Touring this part of Portugal’s spectacular Trás-os-Montes region is a delight for people with time on their hands. Bragança, which lies 73 kilometres (45 miles) to the north-west of Miranda do Douro, is a major highlight and the provincial capital whose walled citadel contains the castle King Sancho I built in 1187.
Another treat is the vast 750-square-kilometre landscape of the Parque Natural de Montesinho where travellers can stop for a leisurely lunch in old stone villages that haven’t changed much in centuries.
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