Rates
Distrito do Porto · Distrito de OportoPortugal
From the pre-Roman personal name Ratis, possibly of Celtic root 'fortress, defence', Latinised as the marker of a Roman fundus. The church of São Pedro de Rates, Romanesque of the 12th century, is one of the oldest in Portugal.
Evolution of the name
- Ratis (antropónimo) Latinized Celtic 1st — 5th century
- Rates medieval Portuguese from the 10th century
Reflections, to the letter
The Church of São Pedro de Rates, Romanesque of the 12th century —a capital work of Portuguese Romanesque—, rises on the remains of a 5th-century early Christian temple. Local legend teaches that São Pedro de Rates, first bishop of Braga consecrated by Saint James, was buried here; archaeologically only an early Christian necropolis is confirmed. Rates is thus two stories in one: the Celtic warrior who gave the name, and the legendary saint who came later.
Glossary
- Anthroponym
- A personal name, often used as the base of toponyms (Lucronius → Logroño, Sigerici → Castrojeriz).
- Fundus
- A Roman rural estate with house, arable land and agricultural dependencies, usually named after the owner in the genitive (Sacaveni = "of Sacavus"). The origin of hundreds of peninsular toponyms.
- Onomastics
- The linguistic discipline that studies proper names — of persons, places and institutions.
- Paleo-Christian
- Of the earliest Christianity, before the 6th century; applied to early churches, martyrs and liturgical practices.
- Pre-Roman
- Prior to the Romanisation of the Iberian peninsula (3rd century BC); applied to toponyms, linguistic roots and populations.
Sources
- Menéndez Pidal, R. — Toponimia prerrománica hispana
- Machado, J.P. — Dicionário Onomástico Etimológico da Língua Portuguesa
- Real, M.L. — O românico português (Lisboa: Inapa, 1986)
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