Ver do Bago, a toast between God and Man

The Route of the Romanesque is the protagonist and co-author of this journey in which the territory is the idea and culture the instrument, proposing a cycle of three exhibitions that celebrate the material and symbolic relationship between the vine and the cultural and human landscape of the Sousa, Douro and Tâmega valleys.

We need to drink to live and live to see, for we must know where we come from, and we must see it to tell of it. And we need to view it calmly, to delight and be delighted.

From May 2021 up to mid-2022, we will experience a trinity of events that will show us the life cycle of grapes the way should be: calmly and using all five senses.

After 3,000 people have visited the exhibition Ver do Bago nos Mosteiros, in Ancede, Baião, we now open the doors to the Church of the old convent of Saint Anthony of the Capuchins, in Penafiel, built in 1664, so that —throughout the last quarter of 2021 and into the first days of 2022, always free of charge — we may continue to offer this immersive experience that shows us how vines, wine, territory, the divine and the people are interconnected.

This exhibition, Ver do Bago nos Santos, invites us on a journey through the cultural and artistic displays of devotion to the patron Saints of the vine cycle, in order to understand how the production and consumption of wine is related to the identity and festivities of this territory (watch video).

In Penafiel, we may experience, among others, an installation created from a video projection onto a cube of multiple screens, in a space that can be roamed by each one of us, so that we can test the Rule of St. Benedict: '[T]hen are they truly monks when they live by the labour of their hands', experiencing how monastic life rested on two basic pillars — Ora et Labora —, which are still very much present in our minds today.

A young and immature Saint Vincent, patron saint of vintners, holds a precious cluster of grapes close to his heart; Saint James painting, with the sacred arm displayed here, the Bago (grape) that will be turned into wine; Saint Martin, by the hands of the Masters of Ferreirim, dwelling at the entrance of the nave of the Capuchins Church; a video installation that dives into a cube to show us how the Monks 'pray and labour', nurturing the soul, vigorously kneading the earthly dough; the enchanting and charming photographic gaze of Domingos Alvão upon the tools and moments that give wine its identity.

The devotion to the Saints of each phase of the winegrowing cycle is not only enshrined in liturgy, but also rooted in the customs, rituals and festivities of the region. Particularly relevant are the figures of Saint Vincent, to whom people resorted at the time of pruning and grafting, Saint James, who 'painted the grapes' during their ripening period, and, finally, Saint Martin, celebrated in November, at the time of the new wine.

Exhibition: Ver do Bago nos Santos

Promoter: Route of the Romanesque.

Place: Church of Saint Anthony of the Capuchins, in Penafiel.

GPS: 41°12'31.7"N 8°17'04.7"O

Admission: Free.

Video: Watch here.

Virtual visit: See here.

Guided tour (min-max): 05-15 participants.

Partners: Diocese do Porto, Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Norte, Comissão de Viticultura da Região dos Vinhos Verdes, Direção Regional de Cultura do Norte, Turismo do Porto e Norte de Portugal, Confraria do Vinho Verde, Fundación Santa María la Real del Patrimonio Histórico and TRANSROMANICA.

Co-funding: Norte 2020, Portugal 2020 and European Union.

Technical details: Complete.

Where to eat: See here.

What to see and do: See here.

Where to sleep: See here.