Favaios was occupied by Roman legions between 218 BCE and 201 BCE, who took it from the tribes of Lusitanians and Hispanic clans. The founders came from the families and relations of the
Flavian dynasty, of
Imperial Rome, who rose to prominence after
Emperor Titus Flavius Caesar Vespasianus Augustus. The parish's name is derived from
Flávios, a corruption of the original name of this leader,
Flavius . Roman Flávios belonged to a vast territory known as Panoias (not to be confused with modern-day Panoias which is a small community in the municipality of Braga). Ancient Panoias extended from the river
Marão to the
Tua River, and from the
Douro River to the current site of
Murça. The invasion of the Iberian peninsula by Arabs reached the north, where the Moors took the Roman
Castle of Flávias: it would later be remembered as the
"Castelo dos Mouros” (). This occupation forced the locals to escape the region and re-established settlements away from Favaios: half the population took refuge in the area that would be renamed São Bento. From this new colony the Portuguese battled the Moors of Favaios; after the expulsion of the Moors the region was covered in the destruction of these battles. The destruction lead to a slow reconstruction of Favaios. Favaios received in 1211 its
Carta de Alforria (
Charter of liberty/freedom) from King
Afonso II, and its
foral (
charter) in 1270 by
Afonso III (which was later confirmed in 1284 by King
Denis). Strangely, during the reign of
Manuel I the charter was revoked in 1514, to be reinstituted the following year, ordering that the local fountain be marked with the Royal shield over an
armillary sphere, surmounted by a crown. ==Geography==