S. Luís

Distance from Vila Nova de Milfontes: 17 km

The Parish of S. Luis was created in the late 16th century, in the context of the movement to form new Parishes in the district of Odemira. It is a charming little village that no longer holds the importance of past times, when the main road from Lisbon to the Algarve went through and made of it a prosperous village with an inn, shops and restaurants.

Located in a low plain, east side of the mountains, the village took advantage of the good agricultural conditions, through a network of small intensive farms: the cercas. The mining wealth of the mountains has been an object of periodic exploration since ancient times.

There is a Legend that says that on top of the Serra de S. Domingos, SW from the village, once a chapel was built to S. Domingos by a family of seven children. Every one of the children built a chapel on a similar peak in such a way that all could be seen by the others.

One day, a shepherd took his best lamb to pay homage to the saint (protector of animals) and tied it to the image. At one point the lamb was scared and ran downhill with the saint attached to it. Only the head could be saved and was used to make a new saint: S. Luís, that stayed in the village church and is also known as a guardian of animals.