Afife is a civil parish located in the Portuguese municipality of Viana do Castelo. The population in 2011 was 1,632, in an area of 13.03 km2.
History
The date of the parish's founding is unclear, although archaeological evidence in this area (castros, cromlechs and menhir) attest to a human presence to the Neolithic. Of the castro structures still located within the region, two share some importance: the castro Morro dos Mouros, and Cividade, which was located in a high mountaintop and separated the settlements of Afife from Âncora (in the neighbouring municipality of Caminha). The latter was a strongly defended fortification with thick walls, which today only exist remnants. Closer to the sea, is the Castro of Santo António, so called due to the existence of a chapel there dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, and which extends atop a small mountain. in the southeast. In addition, there is the castro of Cutro, where the vestiges of access road were discovered and two others in Agrichouso, in addition to several throughout the mountains. Similarly a Roman-era villa, in Baganheiras, burial mounds in Modorro and possibly in Concheiro, several funerary vases, and rock remnants of salting vats, as well as agricultural implements, indicate the presence of humans during the civilized periods of historical occupation.
Celts and Phoenician traders may have settled in this region, along the coast, although these are only speculations. The resettlement of Afife, began with the Count of Tui, D. Paio Vermundes, or his sons, when the lands between the Minho and Lima Rivers were under his domain. Documents from the 10th century, identifying several settlements along the coast and suggesting an occupation after 868, but before 890. It is unclear whether at this time the region was referred to as Fifi or Afifi (nomenclatures which first appeared at the end of the 9th century), or if it received this name from its founder or principal resident. It is possible that Afife arises from the Arab word "Afif", which is an adjective designating that someone is virtuous; much later, the name appeared in 1108, suggesting the existence of a Villa Afif, that obtained the name from its master. Along the centuries, the toponymy appeared variously as Fifi, Affifi, Afifi and Afife. Popular interpretations suggest that the place-name is Roman, from "Aff-hifas", indicating "sopa de cabelos" (hair soup). These definitions come from a period when Roman legions invaded the Lusitanian territory, massacring the population, including women. In order to escape the horrors, some of these women disfigured themselves, cutting their hair and throwing the tresses into springs. When thirsty soldiers went to one of these fountains, they discovered a hair in the water, referring to the area as soup of hair.
Title of Afife was held in the hands of Mendo Pais (one of the sons of the Count of Tui) and, later, one of his nephews, Paio Soares, before being transferred to the Monastery of São Salvador da Torre (at its foundation). The subsequent fate of the holdings of the monastery are not concrete, since the monastery went into ruins and its possessions were appropriated by others around the 10th century, and after the Moorish invasions of Almançor. The monastery was rebuilt after the 11th century, by the descendant of Paio Vermundes, presbyter Ordonho Enes.
The founding of the Monastery of São João de Cabanas occurred in the middle of the 6th century. Friar Leão de São Tomaz, a Benedictine monk, who lived during the era of Martin of Braga, suggested that this monastery located in the territory of Afife was established by the cleric. Some historians suggest that these declarations were premature, noting the construction of the monastery around 564, while other documents suggest 602. A century later, the monastery was a rich centre of religion in the region: "...all the lands of the mount of Âncora and waters to the river until the sea, and in addition to the river, also called Âncora, to the east which included three miles of land, and another three to the west, which had tithes, covenants and rents." The founder of the monastery left the institution in a favourable condition, lasting the reigns of Sebastian and Philip I, acting as a religious centre for convalescence and aid of the sick. But, judicial actions by powerful peoples, suggest that this institution followed the Order of Christ.