A Ver-o-Mar

A Ver-o-Mar or Aver-o-Mar is an urban area in Póvoa de Varzim. It is a former civil parish currently located in União das Freguesias de Aver-o-Mar, Amorim e Terroso, of which it is its seat. In the census of 2001, it had a population of 8,675 inhabitants and a total area of 5.21 km². A 2012 law merged the parish with neighbouring Amorim and Terroso, becoming the northern parish of the city of Póvoa de Varzim.

A Ver-o-Mar naming is unknown, although the current form means "watching the sea" in Portuguese, the ancient people's Abremar pronunciation is still common.

History

A Ver-o-Mar was once a fishing-farmer village in the north of the city of Póvoa de Varzim, Abonemar is the oldest name of A Ver-o-Mar and dates from 1099. The settlement of the place started with the medieval knight Lourenço Fernandes da Cunha, of the Honour of Varzim. In ecclesiastical terms, it was part of the parish of Amorim, although in the 17th century it was annexed to the town of Póvoa de Varzim due to a growing community of fishing-farmers and the growing importance of Póvoa de Varzim. It became an independent parish from Amorim in 1922.