Cabanas de Torres: Culture, Windmills and the Reis Tradition

Cabanas de Torres brings together several travel interests: an annual tradition combines façade painting with singing, while chapels and two different accounts of the town’s history offer insights into its cultural heritage. In the Freguesia, numerous windmills along a ridge mark the edge of the settled area and the start of the slopes of the Serra de Montejunto. A named hiking trail leads to its summit. For planning purposes, this means you can consider culture, a specific January date and a steep mountain route as distinct focuses.

Two accounts of the history of Cabanas de Torres

The founding of Cabanas de Torres is associated with the year 1608, when the town was established by separation from the parish of Ventosa. One local tradition, however, places its beginnings in the 13th century. According to this account, residents fled Torres Vedras because of an epidemic, settled on Monte Santo and built the first huts there. They also built a small chapel with an image of São Roque that they had brought from Torres Vedras.

The two accounts describe different historical layers: 1608 marks the founding through administrative separation, while the tradition describes an earlier settlement. This difference gives the town’s history depth, without equating the traditional account with the dated founding.

Chapels and sacred art

The Capela de São Gregório de Magno is located in the village of Cabanas de Torres. Both the architecture and the imagery of the Capela de São João Baptista have been described. The small chapel has thick walls and seems to nestle against the rocks of the Serra de Montejunto. Its 18th-century figurative azulejo panels depict scenes from the life of its patron saint, São João Baptista. Some of the panels are badly damaged.

Different details take centre stage here: the Capela de São João Baptista combines a striking description of its structure with narrative tile panels. The depictions relate to the life of the patron saint; their partly damaged condition is also part of this particular collection of images. For travellers interested in culture, this offers a different perspective from the town’s founding stories.

Pintar e Cantar dos Reis: painting and singing in January

The Pintar e Cantar dos Reis tradition takes place annually in Cabanas de Torres. On the night of 5 to 6 January, a group gathers spontaneously. The painters lead the way with paints, brushes and lanterns, decorating house façades with traditional drawings of the Three Wise Men. Singers, a lead singer and a choir follow them, singing for several houses at strategic locations.

Painting and singing are part of a shared sequence: after the façade drawings, the group sings at various locations. If this tradition is the reason for your trip, the date is specifically the night of 5 to 6 January. This lets you plan your visit around a particular annual tradition, rather than thinking of January only as a general time to travel.

Windmills and trails in the Serra de Montejunto

The ridge, with its numerous windmills, marks the edge of the settled area and the start of the slopes of the Serra de Montejunto. This defines a clear transition in the landscape: the windmills stand along the ridge where the edge of the settlement meets the beginning of the mountain slopes. The ALQ PR2 – Carreiro da Senhora hiking trail follows narrow, steep paths to the summit of the Serra de Montejunto. Its route description offers a different focus from the stories and chapels: here, the emphasis is on the route along narrow, steep paths and the summit destination.

The Rota dos Moinhos de Alenquer currently includes the Freguesias of Cabanas de Torres, Santana da Carnota, Ventosa and Vila Verde dos Francos. For your trip planning, you can weigh the different themes separately: the January tradition and its specific date, local history and sacred art, or the hiking trail to the summit.

Find a holiday rental to suit your travel interests

When looking for a holiday rental in Cabanas de Torres, you can first consider which of these aspects you want to shape your stay. If you want to plan your trip around the annual tradition, your dates will depend on the night of 5 to 6 January. If culture and history are your main interests, the two founding stories and the details of the chapels offer different starting points. If you plan to take the ALQ PR2 – Carreiro da Senhora hiking trail, its narrow, steep paths and summit destination are specific features to consider. This way, you can choose your destination based on the experiences that interest you.

Discover more destinations: Aldeia Gavinha, Ribafria, Vila Verde Dos Francos, Carnota, Alenquer, Pereiro De Palhacana, Aldeia Galega Da Merceana.

Return to the main travel overview: Alenquer.