Portugal – The Cock of Barcelos

A murder had been committed in the Portuguese town of Barcelos. Who was the criminal? Some stated that on the day of the crime, a Galician was passing through Barcelos on a pilgrimage and various circumstances pointed to his guilt.

The Spaniard declared his innocence but he could present no proof.

He was arrested and then condemned to be hanged. The poor man continued to plead his innocence to no avail. As a last request he asked to be brought before the judge again. The judge was dining with some friends and before them all the man again declared his innocence. “There is nothing I can do” replied the judge.

There was a roasted chicken in the table.

The Spaniard, seeing himself abandoned by man, turned to the Saints of his faith. He cried: “As surely as I stand innocent, so will that rooster crow! ” Everyone laughed. The feast continued and the man was taken back to prison, but the judge decided that the Rooster would not touched. Evening fell and the words of the man still rang in their ears.

By the time the man was to be hanged, the judge was in his house. Suddenly, to the amazement of everybody, the roasted rooster transformed and…… crowed!

The judge and several other man rushed to prevent the Spaniard from being hanged, and they arrived just in time.

The man was released and left the town.

It is said that, years later, the man returned to Barcelos and erected a small monument that can still be seen today, as a way to thank the Saints that had helped him.