Sebolido Mill Museum

Category: Civil Architecture > Museum

District: Porto > Penafiel > Sebolido > São Paulo

Location

The Sebolido Mill Museum is located in the locality of Sebolido, integrated into the municipality of Penafiel. It is situated in a quieter, more rural area, referred to as São Paulo, offering a setting that evokes the region's ancient agricultural traditions and the tranquility of the countryside. Its position allows visitors an authentic approach to local history and heritage.

The Heritage of a Centenary Oil Mill

The building housing the Sebolido Mill Museum dates back to 1864, bearing witness to the significant olive oil production activity that marked Penafiel's history. This mill originally belonged to Casa de Sá and was generously donated to the Municipality of Penafiel with the aim of preserving and valuing this piece of heritage. After a long restoration process, completed in April 2013, the site was restored with particular attention to the original layout of its elements and the use of traditional regional materials, such as schist, which lend authenticity to the space.

The Traditional Olive Oil Process

Inside, the Sebolido Mill Museum features an example of a "beam press" type olive oil mill, which included an animal-drawn millstone essential for olive grinding. This museum core allows visitors to understand the entire traditional olive oil extraction process, from the arrival of the fruit to the obtaining of the oil. Olive oil production in the municipality of Penafiel was of great relevance, with records dating back to the Middle Ages and a considerable number of active oil mills in the 18th century, many of them associated with wealthy estates or monastic farms. Although current production is reduced, the museum plays an important role in the conservation and dissemination of the technology and ancestral knowledge linked to this essential activity in the region.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt