Praia de São Torpes, Portugal

Late afternoon surfing at Praia de São Torpes in Portugal. Praia de São Torpes is a Portuguese beach located in the municipality of Sines. São Torpes Beach has a higher than normal water temperature due to the fact that it is located next to the Sines thermoelectric power plant and other industries that promote the heating of sea water in this region, without endangering public health.
Praia de São Torpes derives its name from the Legend of the martyred Saint Torpes, a gladiator, knight and personal guard during the reign of Roman Emperor Nero. His full name was Caïus Silvius Torpetius and he was born in the Italian city of Pisa during the Roman Empire. Torpes converted to Christianity and publicly professed his faith during a ceremony in which he rebelled against Nero for considering that the mythological goddess Diana was not the creator of the Universe. When Torpes refused to renounce his Christian faith, Nero ordered him to be scourged and beheaded .Legend has it that the body of Saint Torpes was placed in a boat, guarded by a dog and a rooster, and launched into the Arno River. The boat with the body of the saint eventually washed up on a beach in the southwest coast of Portugal, in the municipality of Sines, which would later be called Praia de São Torpes .
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