There’s a small town in northern Portugal, not far from Braga, called Barcelos. One day, a crime took place in this town. Neither the reason nor the suspects were known. Some say the silverware was stolen, but we’re not sure. But at the time, a pilgrim on his way to Santiago de Compostela was suspected by the locals, and a judge condemned him without proof, to be hanged.

The accused begged “Notre Dame” to perform a miracle to prove his innocence. He was taken to the gallows, but asked to see the judge who had condemned him. His wish was granted. The magistrate was in the middle of a banquet with some friends. The accused once again asserted his innocence, and to the incredulity of those present, he pointed to a roast cock on the table and exclaimed: “It’s as certain that I’m innocent as it is that this cock will crow the moment I’m hanged”. Hang him,” said the judge. Just as the pilgrim was about to be hanged, the rooster stood up on the table and crowed. No one doubted the condemned man’s innocence any longer. A few years later, he returned to Barcelos, where he had a monument erected in homage to the Virgin and Saint James. The Barcelos rooster then became a symbol of faith, justice and good fortune, which spread to the Barcelos region and then to the whole of Portugal.