It was during the 13th century that a number of monuments was built to fulfil funerary and memorial functions, and which can only be found on Portuguese soil. These appear quite frequently along important routes, contradicting the trend of that time of placing necropolises near churches and chapels.
Generally, these correspond to the graves of the “faithful of God”,ie, those who had accidental death or in a duel, and are therefore forbidden to be buried in holy places.
The Memorial of Alpendorada must be understood within this context, as the sword engraved in stone above the plinth indicates, which also serves as the basis for its arch. This symbol of nobility was also found at the memorial of Lordelo (Baião), demolished in the 19th century and which prevails in the one of Sobrado (Castelo de Paiva). In Alpendorada, we see the grave of a knight who can be associated with D. Sousino Alvares, who is also linked to the Memorial of Ermida (Penafiel), although tradition still links these two monuments to the person of the princess Mafalda, daughter of king Sancho I and granddaughter of king Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal.
Built in granite, its round arch rests on a parallelepiped base with double cavity.
Location: Marco de Canaveses
