Mountain sanctuaries are places of worship full of meaning and representation that crown the highest points of this territory, dominating the wide valleys and surrounding landscapes. Senhora da Lage (Lady of Lage’s) Marian devotion dates back to the late sixteenth century, beginning of the seventeenth century. Initially evoked as protector of the many ills affecting the population, with the passage of time Senhora da Lage becomes lawyer of fields and good harvests. This point located at 870 meters above sea level, is an important place of popular devotion, stage of the great pilgrimage that is celebrated on May 3, crowded by the local people and neighboring municipalities. Nicknamed the feast of Senhora da Lage is also called the Festival of the Crosses, given the high number of crosses representing the various parishes participating in the ceremonies.
In the rocky outcrops and mountain grasslands near Senhora da Lage, exists a huge floristic diversity, with many endemic and rare species, especially the fritillary, the pedunculated anarrhinum, the rocky germander, the blueberry, the murbeckiella, the knapweed, the hoop petticoat daffodil, the feather pink and the dogtooth violet. On the banks of the plateau there are peat bogs with cyclamen-flowered daffodil, matgrass, dorset heath, cross-leaved heath, round-leaved sundew and peat moss. On the plateau of Freita, the snub-nosed viper and the common rock thrush find their choice of habitat, and along the little streams descending from the plateau, the common holly is one of the few shrubs to thrive.
The Lady of Lage was so named for being installed in huge granite flagstones (lajes), being these part of the Freita mountain plateau. This is a vast leveled surface, with the approximate altitude of 1000 meters, where punctuate residual granite elevations take form with its diverse and unique carved landforms by weathering and erosion of rock mass. Close observation of these rocks allows finding curious sinks that serve as natural drinking fountains for wildlife. Near Lady of Lage sanctuary, the natural craggy granite walls deserve particular highlight, sought by climbers and rappel practitioners.
