Caldas de Reis developed around the thermal springs known to the Romans as Aquis Celenis, a mansio (road station) on the Via XIX. Its name preserves both parts of that history: Caldas derives from the Latin for "hot waters", and de Reis recalls Afonso Raimúndez, the future Afonso VII, who was born here in the early 12th century.

The thermal springs remain in use today, including the public Fonte das Burgas in the centre of town.

Caldas de ReisCaldas de Reis

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Igrexa de Santo Tomé Becket

Igrexa de Santo Tomé Becket

This late 19th-century church is dedicated to Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, in memory of his journey through Caldas while travelling to Santiago in the 12th century. It was built partly with stonework reused from the demolished Torre de Dona Urraca, a former residence of the archbishops of Santiago.