The ceremony took place last Friday, October 16th, at Casa das Artes in Porto, as part of the International Day for Monuments and Sites commemorations. The Councilor for Culture of Barcelos, Dalva Rodrigues, represented the municipality, in the presence of the Secretary of State for Culture, Alberto Santos, and the President of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Cultural Heritage, I.P., João Soalheiro.
Dalva Rodrigues highlighted the importance of this milestone for the valorization of the municipality's cultural heritage. "The inscription of the Figurado de Barcelos in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage represents a recognition of the talent, creativity, and dedication of generations of artisans who have kept alive one of the most important expressions of our cultural identity", she stated.
The Figurado de Barcelos was officially recognized on July 10th, 2026, following an application submitted by the Municipality of Barcelos in October 2024. The inscription in the National Inventory aims to safeguard one of the most emblematic expressions of Portuguese pottery, acknowledging its historical, artistic, social, and identity value.
Deeply linked to the identity and tradition of Barcelos, the Figurado is distinguished by the creativity, thematic diversity, and uniqueness of its pieces, representing the memory and identity of a territory preserved by its artisans.
