In Praça D. Sebastião, opposite the Foz do Cávado Municipal Swimming Pools, there is a statue of D. Sebastião. On 19 August 1572, King D. Sebastião granted Esposende a Royal Decree, granting it the status of a town and making it autonomous from the municipality of Barcelos. In commemoration of the fourth centenary of this significant moment for Esposende, the City Council decided to erect a monument in memory of the monarch, in the square that bears his name.