São Pedro de Moel is a beach community near to the city of Marinha Grande in the district of Leiria

Leiria

Leiria is a city in Leiria Municipality in the Centro Region, Portugal. It is the capital of Leiria District. The city proper has 50,200 inhabitants and the entire municipality has nearly 120,000...

, Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

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It is located within the Pinhal de Leiria, south of the mouth of Ribeira de Moel. It is a seaside village, west of the cities of Marinha Grande and Leiria.
In 1463 Don Afonso V gave São Pedro de Moel to the Count of Vila Real

Count of Vila Real

Count of Vila Real was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, in 1424, by King John I of Portugal, and granted to Dom Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter I of Menezes, 1st Count of Viana .The Menezes, a high nobility family quite close to the first Dynasty Kings in Portugal,...

. The family had a palace in Leiria and several houses in São Pedro de Moel. They lived on this beach until 1641, when the last Marquis of Vila Real

Marquis of Vila Real

Marquis of Vila Real was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, dated from March 1, 1489, by King John II of Portugal, and granted to Dom Pedro de Menezes, also known as Peter II of Menezes, 3rd Count of Vila Real.The House of Vila Real was the most powerful aristocratic House...

 and Duke of Caminha

Duke of Caminha

The title duke of Caminha was created by royal decree, dated from 14 December 1620, by King Philip III of Portugal , to Dom Miguel Luís de Menezes, 6th Marquis of Vila Real and 8th Count of Vila Real.The title was later passed on to his nephew Miguel Luís II, 2nd Duke of Caminha, who was executed...

 were executed. The widowed Duquesa de Caminha, mourned the death of her husband on a huge rock overlooking the beach that is named after him - Penedo da Saudade

Penedo da Saudade

Penedo da Saudade is the name of an historical public garden in Coimbra, Portugal. The garden have partial views of Coimbra skyline and the Coimbra City Stadium. According to the legend, nothing remained the same after the death of Inês de Castro. It used to be a relaxing and isolated place, where...

, at the top of which is a lighthouse with the same name. The legend of the Duquesa de Caminha also claims that the rock the still resonates with her lament.

Overlooking the beach is the home of the poet Afonso Lopes Vieira which includes a chapel overlooking the ocean and a sun-clock. The house was donated by the poet to the City of Marinha Grande for use as a resort for local children. Nowadays it is also used as a museum.

In the nineteenth century São Pedro de Moel was the location of a thriving resin

Resin

Resin in the most specific use of the term is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. Resins are valued for their chemical properties and associated uses, such as the production of varnishes, adhesives, and food glazing agents; as an important source of raw materials...

 factory, using the resources of the abundant local pine forests.

The entire beach was originally part of the Portuguese 'Matas Nacionais', but in 1923 was reorganised into to the Marinha Grande Municipality. It is denoted by a central statue of King Dinis

Denis of Portugal

Dinis , called the Farmer King , was the sixth King of Portugal and the Algarve. The eldest son of Afonso III of Portugal by his second wife, Beatrice of Castile and grandson of king Alfonso X of Castile , Dinis succeeded his father in 1279.-Biography:As heir to the throne, Infante Dinis was...

 and Queen Santa Isabel

Elizabeth of Aragon

Elizabeth of Aragon, also known as Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, T.O.S.F. , was queen consort of Portugal, a tertiary of the Franciscan Order and is venerated as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church.-Biography:Elizabeth was a descendant of one of the most powerful families in Europe:...

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Points of interest include the Praia Velha, Praia da Concha, Penedo da Saudade, the lighthouse and Ribeira de Moel, all slightly to the north. In the pine forests there are several parks, and it includes the Round of Seven, which is a beautiful journey of approximately 7km, via sea, beach, pine forest, parks, fountains and streams.