"Senhora do Almurtão" - Catholic Portuguese folk song (LYRICS + Translation)

Artist: Teresa Salgueiro & Lusitânia Ensemble
Album: "Matriz" (2009)
Origin: Castelo Branco, Idanha-a-Nova, Beira Baixa
Addufeiras: Maria da Conceição (1928), Maria José (1927) & Maria Clara (1928)
Date: September 2010

First of all, in the verse (0:48), arraiana refers to someone who is originally from the border or lives near it. This is due to the fact that this place of devotion borders Spain, or in the past, the Kingdom of Castille. Hence, in the following verses, Our Lady is asked to turn her back on castille and to not become castillian.

The toponym Almortão or Almurtão, seems to be of Arabic origin and since the reign of D. Sancho II, there is reference to "ad Sanctam Mariam Almortom", so officially, the worship of the Lady of Almortão goes back to the XIII century, although there is evidence of older devotions.

From the fourteenth century until the nineteenth century, the ex-votos emerged, intended to preserve "in perpetuum" the gratitude of the faithful and the memory of a miracle. Now, in case of illness, one would pray for the intercession of the Virgin to cure the sick person, and if this miracle took place, the person would send ex-votos as proof of gratitude to the divine entity. Now, in case of illness, one would pray for the intercession of the Virgin to cure the sick person, and if this miracle took place, the person would send ex-votos as proof of gratitude to the divine entity. Many of these ex-votos are paintings that represent the intercession of the Mother of God, with a small explanation, the oldest being from 1767 (2:17), among many others (1:22).

In fact, the Marian rural sanctuary in the village of Idanha-a-Nova has been a sacred place of pilgrimage since ancient times, for those on their way to Santiago de Compostela. On the pilgrim path, there is a round stone with a cross, where one would stop to contemplate the hermitage and the terrace, and on the way there, the devotees sang and danced the most beautiful verses, sometimes improvised, to the sound of adufes (a square tambourine of arabic origin; 3:15).

Furthermore, as is common in several sacred places, the archaeological and epigraphic remains lead to believe that in the vicinity of the chapel there was a pagan Luso-Roman sanctuary of devotion to the indigenous god Igedo (it would be related to agrarian cults). For this reason, it is possible that the Marian cult in that place, dates back to the times of occupation of the Suevi and Visigoth lands of Egitânia (city initially founded by the Romans, known as "Civitas Igaeditanorum"), where the Episcopal see was established.

Centuries later, the legend is told that in the surroundings of the current hermitage of Senhora do Almurtão, a bush called "Murta" (myrtle) grew everywhere. A shepherd then found a small and beautiful stone image of a lady (probably hidden during the Arab occupation, for fear of being desecrated). After taking it home, the next day it mysteriously returned to the same spot. The scene repeated itself until the people concluded that the beautiful image was of the Virgin, naming her "Senhora do Almurtão", and building a chapel in her honor.

If you want to know more about Egitânia: https://igaedis.uc.pt/biblioteca/ | https://aldeiashistoricasdeportugal.com/en...

Check out the source: https://www.idanha.pt/media/4021/catalogo_...

Watch the original video (adufeiras): https://memoriamedia.net/index.php/89-expr...

Source of the song:    • Teresa Salgueiro - "Senhora do Almurtão"