"A piece of history". This is how the Mayor of the Vila Nova de Famalicão City Hall, Mário Passos, describes the new volume of the Cultural Bulletin, which will be launched on 24 February, at 18h00, at the Alberto Sampaio Municipal Archives. The session will be attended by the Mayor of Famalicão and the researchers who collaborated in this 2nd volume of the VI series of the Cultural Bulletin.
The publication "represents an act of justice not only for our history and our culture, but also for future generations", mentions Mário Passos in the opening text of the new publication, referring to its timeless character, highlighting that it shelters "a set of unpublished works and with an enormous scientific quality".
In the editorial, the Alderman of Culture, Pedro Oliveira, reinforces that the new edition was "made possible thanks to the generous contribution of a significant group of collaborators and friends who share their work, their studies, their research and their passion for Vila Nova de Famalicão".
This new Cultural Bulletin explores the built heritage - such as the Monastery of Oliveira Santa Maria and the Quinta da Igreja Velha, in Vermoim -, the immaterial heritage - such as the tradition of the Auto de São João of Vilarinho das Cambas - and the evolution of the famalicense landscape, as well as themes such as tourism and migrations, among others.
The publication gathers works by researchers such as Armando Coelho Ferreira da Silva, retired full professor from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto and scientific coordinator of the Archaeology Office of Vila Nova de Famalicão, Norberto Cunha, retired full professor from the University of Minho and scientific coordinator of the Bernardino Machado Museum, and António Carvalho, researcher and director of the National Archaeology Museum.
Besides these, it also has contributions from several researchers from famalicenses and renowned institutions, such as the Institute of Contemporary History of the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences of the New University of Lisbon and CITCEM - Centre for Transdisciplinary Research Culture, Space and Memory of the Faculty of Arts, University of Porto.
The Cultural Bulletin of Vila Nova de Famalicão is one of the oldest publications of its kind in the country, having its first edition appeared in 1980, accompanying the first group of cultural bulletins published by some Portuguese municipalities after the first national elections in 1976. Since its creation until today, the Cultural Bulletin has given an invaluable contribution to the valorisation and cultural discussion in Vila Nova de Famalicão.