Cinco Quinas

popularly associated with the "Miracle of Ourique". The story linked to this miracle tells that before the Battle of Ourique (July 25, 1139), an old hermit appeared before Count Afonso Henriques (the future Afonso I) as a divine messenger. He foretold Afonso's victory and assured him that God was watching over him and his peers. The messenger advised him to walk away from his camp, alone, if he heard a nearby chapel bell tolling, in the following night. In doing so, he witnessed an apparition of Jesus on the Cross. Ecstatic, Afonso heard Jesus promising victories for this and future battles, as well as God's wish to act through Afonso and his descendants to create an empire which would carry His name to unknown lands, choosing the Portuguese to perform great tasks. Confident from this spiritual experience, Afonso won the battle against an outnumbering enemy. Legend has it that Afonso killed the five moorish kings of the Seville, Badajoz, Elvas, Évora and Beja taifas, before decimating the enemy troops. Hence, in gratitude, he incorporated five shields (the quinas) arranged in a cross — representing his divinely-led victory over the five enemy kings — with each one carrying Christ's five wounds in the form of silver bezants.