On July 8, 1832, on the beach near Arnosa do Pampelido, between the parishes of Perafita and Lavra in the municipality of Matosinhos, an event took place that would decisively change the course of history and mark the beginning of the end of absolutism in Portugal. Organized from the Azores, a squadron under the command of D. Pedro IV with a :The 7,500-man army landed on this beach with the aim of establishing a modern and liberal regime in the country. The choice of this place took the absolutist army by surprise since, expecting an attack on Lisbon, the defense of the North had been left unprotected. After disembarking, the “Liberation Army” headed for Oporto, where it entered peacefully on July 9 and where it heroically resisted for a year in the “Siege of Oporto”.
Marking the place of the landing, on the initiative of António José de Ávila and public subscription, an obelisk was erected to perpetuate the memory of this event. Its location was based on the testimony of members of the “Liberation Army” who, in addition, were present, together with Queen D. María II, at the laying of its first stone on December 1, 1840. However, it would take 24 years for the obelisk to be considered finished, and in 1880 it was proposed to be classified as a national monument.
The granite obelisk includes references to the date of the landing in two metal crowns visible at the top. Four limestone panels at its base record references to the initiative to build the monument, to some of the commanders of the “Liberation Army” and to the famous proclamation that D. Pedro IV made to the soldiers before disembarking.
Restored in 2001 on the initiative of the Matosinhos City Council, the Obelisk of Memory is a fundamental element of the historical heritage of the region and is part of a dune area also protected by the municipality.