 It is believed that Saint Peter of Rates was beheaded while converting believers of the Roman religion to the Christian faith.Centuries later, around the 9th century, the discovery of Peter's body was attributed to Saint Felix the Hermit, a fisherman of Villa Mendo, an ancient Roman villa that existed until the early years of the Kingdom of Portugal, and rediscovered in the 20th century under the sand dunes of Rio Alto in Estela, also in Póvoa de Varzim.Felix had left home and settled in the biggest hill of the area, which is today known as São Félix Hill.