Santo Tirso (Portuguese pronunciation:[ˈsɐ̃tuˈtiɾsu]ⓘ) is a city and municipality located in the north of Porto Metropolitan Area, 25 km from central Porto, Portugal. In the region, the Ave Valley, there is a large center of textile industry. The population in 2021 was 67,709,[1] in an area of 136.60 square kilometres (52.74 sq mi).[2]
Another important center in the municipality is Aves.
The History of Santo Tirso is tied to its benedictine monastery. The town grew around it and, from 978 until 1834, it was a "couto" – a neutral area that belonged to the clergy.[3] Known initially as Santo Tirso de Riba de Ave, this city has been the capital of a municipality at least since 1833.[4] Its composition changed throughout the years, especially in 1998, when the nearby city of Trofa created its own municipality, taking some of Santo Tirso's towns with it.[5]
Towards the middle of the 19th century, Santo Tirso spearheaded the industrialization of the Ave Valley. One of the first textile factories in the region, the Fábrica de Fiação e Tecidos do Rio Vizela, opened in Vila das Aves, part of its municipality, in 1845. This factory would become the largest of its kind in Portugal, with an area of about nine square kilometres and employing, at one point, over 3.000 people.[6]
Geography
The highest point in the municipality is in the Alto de S. Jorge, in the parish of Refojos, with 527 meters of altitude. The municipality's current perimeter is 69 kilometres (43 miles).
Climate
Santo Tirso has a Mediterranean climate with warm to hot summers and mild, very wet winters.
Climate data for Santo Tirso, 1951–1980, altitude: 28 m (92 ft)
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