Santo Tirso, Porto District, Norte Region, Portugal

🇵🇹 Santo Tirso is a city and municipality located in the north of Porto Metropolitan Area, 25 km from central Porto, Portugal. In the region, the Ave Valley, there is a large centre of textile industry.

Another important centre in the municipality is Aves.

The Santo Tirso Monastery built in 978 is a point of interest.

History The History of Santo Tirso is tied to its benedictine monastery. The town grew around it and, from 978 until 1834, it was a "couto" – a neutral area that belonged to the clergy. Known initially as Santo Tirso de Riba de Ave, this city has been the capital of a municipality at least since 1833. Its composition changed throughout the years, especially in 1998, when the nearby city of Trofa created its own municipality, taking some of Santo Tirso's towns with it.

Towards the middle of the 19th century, Santo Tirso spearheaded the industrialization of the Ave Valley. One of the first textile factories in the region, the Fábrica de Fiação e Tecidos do Rio Vizela, opened in Vila das Aves, part of its municipality, in 1845. This factory would become the largest of its kind in Portugal, with an area of about nine square km and employing, at one point, over 3.000 people.

Geography The highest point in the municipality is in the Alto de S. Jorge, in the parish of Refojos, with 527 meters of altitude. The municipality's current perimeter is 69 km (43 miles).

Parishes Administratively, the municipality is divided into 14 civil parishes (freguesias): • Agrela • Água Longa • Areias, Sequeiró, Lama e Palmeira • Aves • Carreira e Refojos de Riba de Ave • Lamelas e Guimarei • Monte Córdova • Rebordões • Reguenga • Roriz • Santo Tirso, Couto (Santa Cristina e São Miguel) e Burgães • São Tomé de Negrelos • Vila Nova do Campo • Vilarinho.

Sport Santo Tirso is home of the historic football club Futebol Clube Tirsense and C.D. Aves.