Constância witnesses the meeting of the Tagus and Zêzere rivers. It is a solemn, grand moment that occurs at all times, continuously. While we are here now, reading these words, that meeting is happening at this very moment. Let’s imagine the sublime fusion of two rivers. The lyricism of this idea resonates in multiple dimensions of Constância, that’s perhaps one of the reasons why it’s called the “village poem”.
To reach the river waters, we need to pass through the streets. We can descend through more or less intricate paths of white houses with yellow stripes. We wouldn’t need to know anything about history to realize, even from this point, that much has happened here. We are absolutely certain of this as we pass by the Clock Tower, the Church of Our Lady of Martyrs, the Miseriórdia Church, or, in Alexandre Herculano Square, the Pelourinho (the pillory).
The river observes the village rising up the hillside. From a boat floating on the river, we see the main church up there, like a crown, or like the title of a poem. Between the sky and the waters, there are overlapping streets, covering the entire hill, they are like verses, like a poem of free verses, composed of white and yellow words, like the color of the house walls.
The main church was based on a 16th century chapel. Upon it, this temple was built, whose ceiling was painted by the famous José Malhoa at the end of the 19th century. Also concerning heritage, there are several spaces that refer to Luís de Camões, the great Portuguese national poet, who turns 500 years old in 2024. In Constância, we find the Garden-herbarium, with all the species mentioned in “The Lusiads”, his great epic, the book that makes all Portuguese proud, but we also find the Camões House-Museum, as well as the Monument to Camões, by Lagoa Henriques.
It is not certain whether Camões has actually spent time in Constância, imprisoned in the old tower, as some say, or trying to forget a love, as others say. In any case, this is a belief of the locals, shared by all, passed down from one generation to another. If Camões didn’t really come to Constância, the way people assure he was here is even more honorable. With or without unequivocal evidence, there is the force of tradition and the sense that it would make sense for a poet of this importance to have passed through a village that, even then, was already a poem.
The Tagus and the Zêzere flow today with small differences from how they flowed centuries ago. Two rivers that decided to merge. There is no doubt that this is the beginning of a poem, as the many poets of Constância know very well. Among them, Camões is a brightness that touches these waters, these houses, like an imprecise and yet so clear meaning.
During Easter, the boats will float on these waters to receive blessings and then to participate in the procession in honor of Our Lady of Good Voyage. All boats will be decorated with flags, like the ones that will adorn the festive streets. In the summer, or as soon as the sunny weather arrives, the river beach will be a perfect place to enjoy silence, which is also a form of poetry.
