"Senhora dos Remédios" - Catholic Portuguese folk song (LYRICS + Translation)

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Origin: Penha Garcia, Idanha-a-Nova, Castelo Branco (Beira Baixa)
Artist: Cardo-Roxo
Album: "No Monte Das Oliveiras" (2019)

Today I bring you this special devotional song because the annual Pilgrimage of Senhora dos Remédios, held in Lamego (Douro region), is just around the corner. These festivities take place during the month of September, but preparation and the celebratory atmosphere often begin in August and last for several weeks (this year it runs from 22nd of August to 9th of September).

The "Senhora dos Remédios" is a popular devotional song dedicated to the Virgin Mary, under the title of "Our Lady of Remedies" (that is, Our Lady of Good Remedy). Due to the widespread nature of this Marian cult throughout Portugal, there are various versions of the song. The early musical collections from the 1970s and 1980s from this song, all came from a weaver from Penha Garcia named Catarina Sargenta, better known in her village as Catarina Chitas, or "Ti Chitas". In fact, the video shown here comes from a Musical Inquiry carried out in 1971 by the Corsican ethnologist, Michel Giacometti, that recorded videos about the life, work and devotion of Ti Chitas, and her performing a total of six songs. This particular fragment corresponds to the devotional song to "Our Lady of Remedies", which was always accompanied by the sound of the adufe. The lyrics version, however, seem to coincide with those collected around 1980 by José Alberto Sardinha, a researcher of oral tradition music, also from Catarina Chitas.

The Marian cult of Our Lady of Good Remedy was introduced in Portugal at the beginning of the 13th century by the French religious members of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives, who chose Our Lady of Good Remedy as their patron saint. By the 16th century, with the new religious conceptions and the guidelines set by the Council of Trent, the Bishop Manuel de Noronha saw in Lamego the opportunity to revitalise the hermitage of Saint Stephen, allowing space for this Marian cult to flourish. Indeed, the devotion to Our Lady of Good Remedy spread rapidly throughout the country, gaining particular significance during periods of crisis and adversity, in response to the rural population's need for consolation and divine protection.

The iconography of the Madonna, especially the Mother and Child figuration, played a crucial role in popularising the cult, making it easily understood and felt by the community. The new devotion, initially celebrated on 5 August and then moved to 8 September, became a mass phenomenon, with the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Good Remedy expanding its activities and building new chapels to welcome devotees. The Bishop of Noronha was instrumental in consolidating this cult, taking advantage of the favourable situation to found a new Marian devotion that would meet the spiritual and material needs of the local population. Through this cult, the Church was able to control and guide the popular masses, contributing to the construction of the magnificent sanctuary of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios, with its imposing staircase and the lush green landscape that surrounds this monumental work and illustrious heritage of Lamego.

Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbMRxJBykE0

Photos & Videos:

2023 (0:00): Detail of the portable platform of Our Lady of Good Remedy, during the Triumphal Procession

1980s (0:44) - Ti Chitas video : https://arquivos.rtp.pt/conteudos/fragmentos-de-um-inquerito-musical-em-penha-garcia/

2022 (1:28): Portable platform of Our Lady of Good Remedy in the shape of a barque ("Barque of the Beautiful Lady"), during the Triumphal Procession. Photograph by Rui Pires

1923 (1:56): Portable platform of Our Lady of Good Remedy, during the Triumphal Procession, pulled by s yoke of oxen, with the carts superbly decorated. Although there are other processions that include animals, this is the oldest and the only one with a Papal authorisation

1923 (2:08): Portable platform of Our Lady of the Assumption, during the Triumphal Procession, being accompanied by little angels, as per the secular tradition

2014 (2:20): Detail of Our Lady of Good Remedy, during the Triumphal Procession. Photograph by Luís branco

2010 (2:52): Back of the barque-shaped platform of Our Lady of Good Remedy, during the Triumphal Procession. Photograph by Rui Pires