Oral History Interview - Anton Ferreira Lorenzo (A Guarda)

In this oral-history interview, Anton Ferreira Lorenzo discusses the ritual, devotional, and mnemonic landscape surrounding Monte Santa Trega in A Guarda, Galicia. The testimony documents traditions associated with fishermen from A Guarda and Póvoa de Varzim, including systems of maritime identity marks carved into the former doors of the Santa Trega chapel and ritual invocations for favorable winds. The interview records legends associated with the Laxe Sagrada petroglifo, narratives of miraculous phenomena connected to the Franciscan convent of Ínsua, and traditions concerning the so-called ‘Seven Saints’ linked to mountain sanctuaries across Galicia and northern Portugal. Particular attention is devoted to the ritual known as O Voto, a penitential pilgrimage associated with drought, fasting, nocturnal procession, and collective prayer, traditionally restricted to men until recent changes introduced by local clergy. Ferreira Lorenzo reflects on transformations in local religiosity, changing attitudes toward tradition, the role of Santa Trega as patroness associated with healing of headaches and heart ailments, and the relationship between landscape, devotion, tourism, and local identity. The interview also preserves memories of the Sociedad Pro Monte de Santa Tecla, the Festa do Monte, Via Crucis traditions, eremitic associations linked to the mountain, and twentieth-century transformations in ritual practice under and after Francoism. The testimony contributes to broader discussions on ritual landscapes, sacred mountains, collective memory, oral tradition, gendered religious practices, vernacular Catholicism, and heritage-making processes in the Minho border region within the AntCom research framework.