Blessed Gonçalo of Lagos

Blessed Gonçalo was born in Lagos in 1360.

According to tradition, he was born in a house located next to Portas do Mar (Sea Gates), precisely in the place where the niche with his image is still located. Having moved to Lisbon for his studies, it is thought that around 1380 he took the surname of Lagos, as it was the custom at the time amongst friars to take their place names as surnames and entered the Abbey of the “Gracianos”, a name familiarly given then to the friars of the Order of Hermits of Saint Augustine, who lived in the Abbey of Our Lady of Grace; hence the moniker. He did university studies (“General Studies”), which he completed so brilliantly that he was invited to graduate with a Doctorate of Theology and to join the faculty in Lisbon.

His renowned books, exquisite illuminated works and inspired musical compositions serve as testament to his intellectual and artistic qualities. All these were amply reflected in his great vocations of both catechetics and preaching, resulting in notable clerical and lay followings, both to hear him and to benefited from his generosity and almsgiving. He was ordained a priest and in 1385 became prior of the Order’s abbey in Lourinhã and eventually progressing onto priorates in abbeys in Lisbon, Santarém and Torres Vedras.

It is said that he was always a great friend of fishermen, especially those from his native region, the Algarve, with miracles being attributed to him, including the one reported by Friar António da Purificação:

«In the year 1437, which is fifteen after his glorious death, it happened that certain men from the Kingdom of the Algarve, born in Lagos, homeland of the same Saint, embarked for Lisbon in a caravel, among whom was a nephew of the same servant of God, son of one of his brothers. Engulfed in a storm so severe that it forced the vessel ashore, where it was broken to pieces, resulting in the death of all on board, except for two who managed to take hold of a piece of wood. But, as the swell of the waves took them ever closer to the boulders of the shore, they lamented grievously.

So, when one of them ran out of strength, he slipped off the wooden board and drowned. The other held on, but his strength was also waning. This last survivor was the nephew of the Saint and seeing himself going the way of his companions, he was so distressed that he began to call on God and on Saint Goncalo, saying, “Holy Uncle, Holy Uncle, save me!” At this point, he saw an Augustine friar on the beach who encouraged him with shouts not to be afraid.

Then, the friar entered the sea through the waves and, taking him by the hand, took him to the shore, and said to him: “I am the uncle you called. Go and heal yourself until you gather strength to be able to walk. And, since you did not visit me in life, do so now. Go to the Monastery of Saint Augustine, in Torres Vedras, where my body is buried and pray there; you will receive perfect health there from the sores and wounds you received in this shipwreck.

The young man did it so and, sleeping a first night at the foot of his uncle’s grave, he woke up in the morning with no pain at all, nor any sign of the wounds he had received. From these happenings and the witnessed sudden healing of the wounds, an authenticated public instrument was drawn up in two originals, one of which was placed in the archives of that abbey and the other was taken to the Algarve for the glorification of God and the greater veneration of his servant.»

It is for this reason that many images of Blessed Gonçalo de Lagos portray him with a caravel in his hand and the fishermen of Lagos took him as both their Patron and Patron of their Professional Corporation (the Irmandade do Corpo Santo dos Mareantes e Pescadores da Cidade de Lagos [Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit of Mariners and Fishermen of the City of Lagos]), recognised by royal charter in 1497 by King Manuel I (1495-1521), reformed by King John V (1706-1750) in 1749 and dissolved in 1834 by Queen Mary II (1826-1853), after the reforming liberal victory in the turbulent civil war.

Gonçalo de Lagos is also known as “Defender and Patron of the Town of Torres Vedras and its surroundings”, as recommended by King John II (1481-1495), who also suggested that Lagos could especially venerate this Saint. He decreed that Lagos host a relic of Blessed Gonçalo, which when it arrived at the head of a great party of clergy and officials, headed by the then Bishop of the Algarve, D. Fernando Coutinho, the Blessed’s Patronage and Protectorship of Lagos was confirmed by both the Church and Crown. The aforementioned relic was put into the custodianship of the Parish of Santa Maria de Lagos.

Blessed Gonçalo died at the Abbey of Our Lady of Grace in Torres Vedras on 15th October 1422 and he was finally beatified by Pope Pius VI (1775-1799) in 1778. October 27th is the optional celebratory memorial and liturgical feast day for Blessed Gonçalo de Lagos, being a holy day of obligation both in the Diocese of the Algarve and in the Patriarchate of Lisbon; it is also the Day of the Municipality of Lagos and its municipal public holiday.