Portonovo. Old Town. Seafaring district

About this heritage

Portonovo is a town that belongs to the Adina´s parish, in the Pontevedra municipally of Sanxenxo, it is the first port that you can find in the north coast of the Pontevedra´s estuary, where the entrance to the estuary begins.

It is a fishing port that has a small fishing and sport port, sheltered by a breakwater and belonging to the same cove of Sanxenxo. It has a sailing club which has seamanship all year, capacity for 203 boats and five pier lines.

This fishing village is a good place to taste the best seafood. You can take a short walk through the municipality to learn about the town´s history, its traditions and customs. Like the importance of fishing for the men and women of the sea. One of the most visited tourist spots is the Portonovo fish market, which is one of the main bases of the town´s economy. There you can also see how workers prepare the fishing equipment such as fish traps or nets.

Another place to find the freshest products is the “Mercado de Abastos” (food market), where the daily sales and variety of fish and seafood can be seen.

Going down the old town, the “Campo de San Roque” stands out, it is the highest neighbourhood of Portonovo, it has green areas, benches for sitting and also a children´s playground. Also located in this area is the “Santa Catalina” church, one of the most known places of the village, its name alludes to the saint patron of sailors whose festivities are held in November.

It is located in the remains of the old chapel of San Roque, saint patron of the town, which is venerated in mid-august.

To learn more

From Portonovo´s seafaring district stands out the “Santa Catalina” chapel, located on the highest part of the town´s promontory.

This chapel is a small simple stone construction, with a single nave with a rectangular plan, in which the belfry that rises above the church, adorned with two pinnacles and topped with a cross, stands out above all. The main façade is also decorated with two small pinnacles, one on each side. The sacristy, also rectangular in shape, is attached to the rear façade.

It is dedicated to the sailor´s saint patron of the town of Portonovo, Santa Catalina, for whom the sailors feel great devotion. Legend says that this saint is the Portonovo´s patron because some sailors of the village who were working near the coast, found an image of Santa Catalina de Alejandría, from a shipwreck. The sailors themselves took it and put in the San Roque´s old church. The veneration that was generated is still alive and nowadays it is carried in procession through the streets and by the sea by the end of November.

If you walk a little more towards the coast you will find the A Peixeira viewpoint, you will see the breakwater, as well as the best views of the estuary and the small beach of Caneliñas.

A little bit further from the centre is another temple, Santa María de Adina church, which is located on a privileged area overhanging the landscape. Surrounded by a stone wall, the church also has a rosette that attracts all eyes to the carving of a virgin carrying a child.

To know it better

The City Council of Sanxenxo is divided into different parishes: Santa María de Adina, San Ginés de Padriñán, San Pedro de Villalonga, San Esteban de Noalla, San Juan de Dorrón, San Pedro de Bordóns and Santa Eulalia de Nantes. In addition, in this municipaly you can visit eight historical “pazos” (old Galician novelty houses), churches, parishes and chapels, “cruceiros” (stone cross - religious), “hórreos” (raised granaries) and spectacular viewpoints.

Portonovo is a village loved by its turists while summer months. This area has three important beaches: Baltar, which has an area of small dunes and a beautiful environment, and the beaches of Caneliñas and Canelas.

Sanxenxo is a Galician municipality located in the Pontevedra´s province. It is situated in the Val do Salnés region, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in the Pontevedra´s estuary and the Arousa´s estuary.

The name of this fishing village comes from San Ginés, which is the saint patron of the town. In 1842 the village was called Sanjenjo, in 1877 Sangenjo and finally in 1983, its name changed to Sanxenxo, which is how the municipality is currently called.