Capela de Santo Antoninho da Estrada

Capela de Santo Antoninho da Estrada is a small Baroque chapel in São Mamede de Infesta, Matosinhos, near Porto. Locals also know it as Capela de Santo António do Telheiro. Its name connects the chapel with the old royal road linking Porto and Braga. That route followed an ancient Roman road recorded in the Itinerarium Antonini. A local legend says Saint Anthony of Lisbon found shelter beneath a simple roof while travelling towards Santiago de Compostela. The name telheiro refers directly to that sheltering roof.

Donations collected in a small roadside alms box funded the chapel’s construction. The chapel dates from the eighteenth century and reflects regional Baroque architecture. A lateral bell tower and blue-and-white azulejos later shaped the façade’s present appearance. Inside, simple decoration centres on an image of Saint Anthony. Its pilgrimage connection extends north from Porto towards Ponte da Pedra, the Leça River, Leça do Balio, and São Pedro de Rates. The Festas de Santo António do Telheiro bring processions, music, and traditional gatherings to São Mamede de Infesta. This modest building preserves a link between local devotion, historic roads, and routes towards Santiago de Compostela.