Matosinhos commemorated the tragic 1947 shipwreck on its 75th anniversary

On the 2nd of December, Matosinhos marked the 75th anniversary of the tragic shipwreck of 1947, which claimed the lives of 152 city fishermen, spread across four trawlers - the "São Salvador", the "D. Manuel", the "Maria Miguel" and the "Rosa Faustino" - victims of a merciless storm.

The grief, pain and suffering triggered by this disaster persist in the collective memory of the community, still haunted today by this episode that left 71 women widowed and 100 children orphaned, according to the chronicles of the time.

In order to honour the lives lost on that fateful day and pay tribute to the affected families, the Matosinhos City Council organised the "Mar de Luz" event, with the collaboration of various local institutions and associations.

The celebrations began on December 1st, with a choir symbolically composed of 152 Matosinhos voices singing at the Matosinhos Memory Museum. In the water mirror of the Florbela Espanca Municipal Library, 152 candles were released, a gesture preceding the ceremony of placing the flags at half-mast of the Town Hall.

On the 2nd of December, a pilgrimage began from the Fishermen's House to Matosinhos beach, to deposit flowers near the "Tragédia do Mar" sculpture, the work of artist José João de Brito. Santo Amaro Chapel hosted a mass in memory of the deceased fishermen, led by parish priest Emanuel Brandão and co-celebrated by Canon José Fabião.

At midday, four trawlers departed from Leixões Bar, parading off Matosinhos Beach, accompanied by the Leixões Port Authority's lifeboat.

In the early afternoon, the Matosinhos Memory Museum opened the temporary exhibition "Romagem de saudade", a tribute that evokes the historical, material and immaterial memories of the 1947 Shipwreck. The documentary "Senhor Deus dos Desgraçados" was also shown.

These celebrations reinforced Matosinhos' identity and its deep respect for collective memory, evoking one of the most significant episodes in the city's history.