The Ermida Memorial is classified as a National Monument since 1910, and integrates nowadays the very interesting touristic-cultural Vale do Sousa Romanesque Route, and is a rather interesting monument.

It belongs to a type of construction of which only six specimens remain in the Portuguese territory. Although the purpose of this kind of monument is not entirely clear, it should concern entombment, the celebration of someone’s remembrance, or the passing of funeral processions.
Its architectural features and style suggest that it may have been built around the mid 13th century.

The Memorials of Ermida, Sobrado, Arouca, Alpendurada and Lordelo are, according to the legend, related with D. Mafalda, the daughter of King Sancho I. They are traditionally referred to as a stopping point on the transfer of the princess body to the Arouca Monastery, where the princess was buried.