Barcelos, Portugal

Barcelos
Top: The entrance to the city of Barcelos coming from the parish of Barcelinhos; middle: Igreja Matriz de Barcelos; City Hall and statue of Bishop António Barroso; bottom: The medieval tower; Tower view of the Church of Bom Jesus da Cruz and the gardens
Interactive map of Barcelos
Country Portugal
RegionNorte
Intermunic. comm.Cávado
DistrictBraga
Parishes60
Government
 • PresidentMário Constantino Lopes (PSD)
Area
 • Total
378.90 km2 (146.29 sq mi)
Population
 (2024)
 • Total
116,959
 • Density308.68/km2 (799.48/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+00:00 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+01:00 (WEST)
Websitehttps://www.cm-barcelos.pt

Barcelos (Portuguese pronunciation: [bɐɾˈsɛluʃ] ) is a city and a municipality in Braga District in the Minho Province, in the north of Portugal. The city of Barcelos had 26,042 inhabitants in 2021, while the municipality had 116,959 inhabitants in 2024 across an area of 378.90 square kilometres (146.29 mi2). With 61 parishes, it is the municipality with the highest number of parishes in the country. Barcelos lies on the Portuguese Way, a Christian pilgrimage route connecting to the Camino de Santiago.

It is known for the Rooster of Barcelos and for its textile and adobe industries, as well as its horseback riding events and "figurado" style of pottery, which are comical figurines with accentuated features of farmers, folk musicians, and nativity scene characters. Barcelos is part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a Crafts and Folk Art City.