António Pinto Madureira was a miner by profession and this was the reason for the nickname he earned. He came to the parish of S. Cipriano in 1920 to open a mine, and ended up staying here. The “Mineiro” (miner) possessed healing skills. The people who came to him flocked from various locations seeking to cure their diseases and distresses. Such gifts earned him a prison sentence of seven months and 15 days, then replaced by a fine of 30 escudos per day of sentencing. Nevertheless, it is his artistic skills that are worth mentioning.
Alminhas (shrines), Cruzeiros (larges crosses set up in roads or public places) and statues of saints were carefully carved and crafted in granite, in a combination of both secular and religious elements.
This beautiful work by the “Mineiro”, in the hamlet of Ovadas de Cima, is called Nossa Senhora de Fátima e os Três Pastorinhos (Our Lady of Fatima and the Three Little Shepherds).
Location: Resende
