I. Amanhecer
II. Enamorados
III. Degredo
IV. Fuga
V. Morte (marcha fúnebre)
It is said that, in the 16th century, there were two wealthy noblemen in Peniche who harbored a mutual hatred, due to old disputes, and nothing in the world made them forget their visceral rivalry.
However, as fate would have it, Rodrigo, the son of one of them, fell madly in love with Leonor, the beautiful and gifted daughter of the other of the estranged nobles.
Knowing the hatred that separated their parents, Rodrigo and Leonor did not dare to reveal their feelings, fearing the repercussions of such a discovery. However, this inevitably came to pass, with Rodrigo's father, given the firmness of his son's decision, and in the conviction of the need to separate the young lovers, decided to banish him to the island of Berlenga, where he joined the Jerónimos monastery as a novice.
Despite being upset, Rodrigo obeys his father by leaving for the island of Berlenga, convinced of his love and resolute against everything and everyone to continue to love his Leonor.
In fact, Rodrigo, with the help of Gil, a fisherman friend of his, is transported in a small boat every night to a cave located on the southern edge of Peniche, where Leonor was waiting for him, signaling his presence with the light of a lantern.
These furtive encounters were repeated on countless occasions, until one night, Leonor's exits were discovered. the young lady was pursued by her father's servants and, in the rush of flight, jumping from rock to rock, she slipped on the pebbles of the hillside and in the blackness of the night fell from the top of a boulder, drowning in the sea.
Shortly afterwards, as usual, Rodrigo approaches for yet another meeting. Not observing the agreed sign, the worried young man calls out to his beloved in vain. Time passes with no sign of Leonor until an anguished Rodrigo manages to catch a glimpse of his lover's tender white cloak floating in the sea. Then, despair seizes Rodrigo who, hoping to rescue Leonor, throws himself into the black ocean from the top of the treacherous cliff.
Days later, the poor body of Leonor was rescued from the sands of a neighboring path, which had been deposited in the churchyard of the chapel of Santa Ana, located not far away.
As for the body of the unfortunate young man, it is said that it was found on the north coast, next to a rock that was named Laje de Frei Rodrigo.
The cave that was the scene of such a tragic love affair still preserves the memory of this story, locally known as Passos de D. Leonor.
Text adapted from Peniche in History and Legend, by Mariano Calado
