Thyrsus Classics
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Santo Tirso is situated 25km from the main Urban centers of the north of Portugal. The city of Oporto (and its international airport), and the cities of Braga and Guimarães .
It is located in the valley of the River Ave, this town first developed around the monastery of São Bento, founded in the tenth century, which was also known as Santo Tirso de Riba de Ave.
The region's largest religious festival is held here every July in honour of São Bento (St. Benedict).
The city was developed around the Monastery of São Bento, one of the most important examples of both Batoque and Gothic religious Architecture in the country.
The town also includes an important open air museum of contemporary art, with sculptures from some of the most important international artists .
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Close by is the spa of Caldas da Saúde, which is not only equipped with all the facilities necessary for thermal cures, but also has a curious exhibition of the instruments most commonly used in spa treatments at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Of particular interest in the surrounding area is the Romanesque church of Roriz (whose origin dates back to the eighth century) and Citânia de Sanfins de Ferreira, an old pre-Roman settlement that was probably inhabited as long ago as the sixth century BC.
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The town and its surroundings offers a perfect example of the typical green and hilly landscape of the regions of Minho and Douro Litoral (north of Portugal) It is well know for its beauty and quality of life, offering a quiet and healthy life style, being at the same time very close to major urban centers.