Saint John's Fertile Land

The town and parish of Terrugem are located in the Sintra municipality and was its fifth largest parish by area (just over 23¼km²) until it also came under the wake of the 2013 local government rationalisations and was merged with the larger neighbouring parish of São João das Lampas (two options here – either Saint John’s Lamps, or Saint John’s Figs – whole other long story).

The slow evolutionary process of establishing the parish started back in the early 15th century, when the inhabitants of what was then called São João da Terruja, petitioned the Archbishop of Lisbon, H.G. Lord Pedro de Noronha (1424 – 1452) in 1426 to grant them a chaplain, as the nearest church (in Santa Maria do Arrabalde [Saint Mary of the Outskirts] – between Sintra old town and São Pedro de Penaferrim) was 1½ leagues (just over two miles) away (and all uphill on the way there). A little over a century later, Terrugem was formally separated from the parish of Santa Maria do Arrabalde and elevated to a parish, by a royal charter granted by H.M. King John III (1521 ~ 1557), dated 11th June 1527 and after reasonably amicable agreement with the parish authorities of Santa Maria. Historically noteworthy, one of the conditions of the charter was the freedom of choice granted to the parishioners to pick their own chaplain. 

This was not automatically given, but a previous precedent had been created when the Sintra parish of Montelavar (from the medieval “Monte Alavar”, or White Hill, due to the abundance of beautiful white marble, still the backbone of the local economy) was founded in 1498. As to the origins of the name, by the renaissance, the village was called either Tarruja, or Terruja (documents from 1465, 1486 and 1537) which was still used up to the early baroque (1608 manuscripts). The meaning is somewhat lost in time, but there are many Portuguese place names that have come down from both old Latin and its local derivatives that relate to the local type of land and soil – there are two more “Terrugens”, one in the municipality of Oeiras, just outside Lisbon and another over in Elvas, in the Alentejo). 

In this sense, Terrugem very probably is some form of derivation of the allusion to the quality soil of the area – in modern Portuguese, “terrunho” still means cultivable land. There are a number of notable heritage sites in the parish, but the most beautiful is the charming parish church, dedicated to Saint John the Beheaded (his feast day is 29th August, which commemorates the execution of Saint John the Baptist [4BC – 29AD] by Herod Antipas [4BC – 39AD], whereas his birth feast is celebrated on 24th June). The church was started in the 15th century, then added to in the 16th century, followed by a bell tower in in the 17th century and the beautiful tile panelling in the interior in 1681, as well as the ornate pulpit. 

Months before the devastating Napoleonic invasion in 1807, the bell tower was embellished with a classical cupola and an elegantly large sundial, which today is a clock. The final great addition was the exquisite altarpiece added in 1824. The church still has the original pointed entrance porticoes, as well as a rustic tiled porch around two of its sides.

Then there is the little Saint Sebastian Chapel, today about five blocks up on the same main thoroughfare (unsurprisingly named 29th August Avenue) from the parish church and which dates all the way back to the early 14th century. It acted as the local church until the consecration of the current parish church. Over in the hamlet of Armés (no recognisable translation) there is the natural wellspring with the original subterranean Roman stone tank and a still-working hand pump at the surface. This still working facility was built by Lucius Iulius Maelo Caudicus, priest of the cult of the divine Emperor Augustus (27BC – 14AD), though a native Turduli Oppidani celt, in 20AD, and inscribed for being for the common enjoyment.

This votary of the imperial cult, rose economically and socially in the Roman municipal magistracy, owned a marble quarry and processing workshops, evidenced by both traces found in his ruined villa nearby at Granja dos Serrões (Ridges Estate), which itself still has an intact votive inscription dedicating it to the god Jupiter and the remains of the ancient industrial complex at Buracas de Armés (Armés Burrows). Another wellspring is to be found at the surface in hamlet of Cabrela (again no translation, but no doubt allusive to the extensive goat pastures of the past – “cabra” is a nanny-goat), with the original covered stone construction dating back to the 15th century which still has the original exterior Roman stone dunking tank (due to its size, possibly for washing feet). On the natural front, there are the mesmerising Cascata de Fervença (take your pick, Effervescence/ Fervour/ Vivacity Falls), half-way between Armés and the village of Vila Verde (Green Town).

Along with the town (status granted in 2011) of Terrugem and the other locations so far mentioned, the parish is also made up of a number of other hamlets and villages, some with quite amusingly enchanting names:

• A-do-Pipo;

(literally, A-of-the-Barrel)

• Alcolombal;

(no translation, but probably some Moorish origin, as identified with the “prefix” al-)

• Almorquim;

This village lies near the old road that connected Sintra to the palatial town of Mafra. The placename is quite unique; in the mists of time, this whole area was densely wooded with an oak and beech forest. The Romans attested that in Celtic times the place was used for meditation, as well as searching for and interpreting spiritual signs from Mother Nature. In their words, an almu (creative/ charitable/ saintly/ venerable) individual resided in the forest and he benignly encouraged and nourished life, being pure, holy, illustrious and respected.

Sometime during the period that the Moors controlled the area (8th – 12th centuries), the locale was home to a Mozarab (Christian accepting Muslim rule) cleric and, in Arabic, the name for an obedientiary of Muslim law is an al-faquih, which in modern Portuguese has become “alfaquim”. Thus, Roman legend and Moorish terminology morphed into, firstly, “Almofaquim” and, with the change in local accents over the centuries, this later became Almorquim. So in essence, the name somewhat translates into a place where a "holy man" lived.

• Alpolentim;

(same applies as with Alcolombal)

• Bombacias;

Generally speaking in Portuguese, a word that contains the prefix "bombac" can express the concept of a cotton, soft/ velvety/ pleasant to the touch and is used in the formation of etymons, such as bombazine, a cotton fabric that mimics corduroy. So in this context, Bombacias possibly means an airy, sunny place with a mild "soft" climate which is in relative contrast with the deep valley that is nearby and the shadier neighbouring villages to the north.

• Carne Assada;

Literally meaning Roast Meat, a document from 1758 already records this name for the hamlet, that numbered 35 inhabitants in fifteen properties. Local legend has it that back in the mists of time there was a great fire in the area that killed off most of the grazing livestock and left a lingering scent of charred meat for quite a while.

• Casal Sequeiro

In Portuguese, “Sequeiro” can mean, amongst other things, a granary (mainly for corn), which was grown in the area and there is still a disused windmill on the main road; so, the place name likely translates into Granary Thorp.

• Casais de Cabrela;

In Portuguese a “casal”, when referring to a place, in essence means a thorp, which is usually smaller than a hamlet; when in the plural, as here, it frequently alludes to a collection of small thorps close together. To the northeast of Casais de Cabrela and about half-way up to Cabrela there is the Roman bridge over the Fervença River. The origins of the bridge has been lost to the oblivion of time. Though not built with the traditional Roman arches, the remaining stonework is in the Roman style and the paths that lead away from and to it are clearly the remains of a Roman road.

Unarguably, it has been modified over time, but still today there are connecting sections made up of large, well-cut and polished slabs, as was characteristic of the Roman methodology. As both Cabrela and Casais de Cabrela sit on their respective gentle hills, the descent to the Fervença is a little steep and there remains a total of about 800m of old and somewhat dilapidated Roman road on both sides of the bridge. This said, the whole location is truly idyllic and is only enhanced if the odd free-grazing herd of sheep, or goats, happens along.

• Faião;

This is the next little hamlet on the same country lane just north of Silva. In Portuguese, a “faia” is a beech tree, so, the name may possibly allude to large beeches, as this area was once mostly woodland.

• Fervença;

Named after the nearby river, this small working hamlet lies just north-east of the beautiful Fervença Falls.

• Funchal;

Though this village has the same name as the regional capital of Madeira, the word just literally means “Fennel Field”, which must have been grown there in the past, this village being older than its Madeiran counterpart and as the Portuguese for fennel is “funcho”.

• Godigana:

There is no translation for this name, but just possibly it is related to the past processing of wool and goats’ hairs into knots – in modern Portuguese, such a knot is called a “godilhão”. Equally, the same Lucius Iulius Maelo Caudicus’ villa in nearby Granja dos Serrões is known as Villa Caudicana, as Caudicus was a Romanisation of his original Celtic name, so, Caudicana may have changed over the millennia to Godigana.

• Lameiras;

The name translates into Marshes, so possibly in the distant past this area was marshland, as the Fervença river runs along nearby. The hamlet is just south of Armés.

• Murganhal

There are intriguing possibilities for the origins of this village’s name, as “murganho” can mean both a slender/ stunted child and is the common name given to both the house mouse (mus musculus) and the European shrew. However, the likeliest source is possibly from murganho being the name given to the unused remains of threshing on barn/ windmill floors, namely, all that is left behind and not used is murganho. Equally in the context of stonework, all the useless rubble that is left from processing and shaping stone is known as murganho; given the intensity of marble quarrying in the area, back in the mists of time, the fields around the village were possibly used for piling up all this detritus.

• Silva;

This is the Portuguese name for the wild blackberry bramble which are still abundant in the area. The hamlet is just to the north of Cabrela and, due to its proximity, is today more of an outskirt for the larger village.

Though not a public holiday, Terrugem has a major festival on 29th August, in honour of its patron saint that attracts crowds from both villages in the parish and neighbouring towns in the Sintra area. As at the last census in 2011, its population was just over 5,100. It is all credit to the local population that the centuries-old traditions of agriculture, carpentry and marble quarrying, processing, as well as masonry are still the main activities of the area, even though with many modern twists.

Terrugem was elevated to town-status on April 6, 2011.