Pilgrim support center opens in Póvoa de Varzim
The “Centro de Apoio ao Peregrino” (Pilgrim support center) in Póvoa de Varzim was inaugurated on October 13, National Pilgrim Day. It is located at the “Esplanada do Carvalhido”, on the Portuguese Coastal Route, and occupies a space that the City Council granted to the Parish Council, which is responsible for the project. The opening hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The thousands of pilgrims who pass through the city every year on their way to Santiago de Compostela have a place there to rest, get information and receive logistical support. At the center, they can also find the “Camisola Poveira” (Póvoa sweater) — part of the traditional costume of Póvoa’s fishermen, certified in 2024 and recently elevated to a national emblem — on permanent display, with a showcase and a point of sale.
The center also includes a social store, which gives the full proceeds of its sales to Póvoa’s social solidarity institutions, and a mural where visitors leave messages of solidarity for Santiago, with the money raised going to the Portuguese Cancer League. The space also has a free library, with used books that the Parish Council collected in its book drive, inviting readers to put them back into circulation after reading them.
Parish Council President Ricardo Silva and Mayor Andrea Silva officially inaugurated the new center before pilgrims, local officials and representatives of various organizations from the municipality. Father Nuno Rocha gave the space his blessing, and fado singer Sílvia Raquel performed “Saudades do Mar” (Longing for the Sea), a song by Énio Ramalho recently approved as the parish’s official anthem.
Ricardo Silva wants the center to be a reference point and a place of welcome for those passing through the city. Andrea Silva thanked him for the joint work of the two local authorities and told the pilgrims: “This house is yours.” The Mayor wants to bring Póvoa closer to Galicia, including economically, from industry to tourism, and hopes pilgrims will return to the city as tourists and business partners.
