The old Parochial Residence of Sanfins do Douro, in the municipality of Alijó, will undergo a deep rehabilitation and conversion intervention, with a municipal investment of 2.45 million euros. The contract has already been awarded and is awaiting approval from the Court of Auditors, also counting on a co-financing of 63.39% through European funds. The building, dating from the 18th century, will be transformed into an Interpretive Center dedicated to the relationship between religion, society, history, and local identity.
The future interpretive center, titled "Religion and Society: From Father Manuel da Nóbrega to 'Holy Miller' Sebastião Maria," will feature two prominent figures from the history of Sanfins do Douro. Father Manuel da Nóbrega will be presented as a figure linked to missionary expansion and contact between different cultures, while Sebastião Maria, known as the "Holy Miller," is associated with popular religiosity and community devotion.
With the completion of this project, the Municipality of Alijó intends to recover a property of high heritage value and transform it into a space dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of the local community's heritage. The intervention also includes the installation of respective museum displays, seeking to strengthen the tourism offering and enhance the identity of the Douro region.
