abrogate his authority over the parish of Couto de Vinha in this new restructuring, but finding no support, the monarch transferred the royal lands of Afife and Vila Meã to Viana do Castelo. Similarly, the Sé of Braga also possessed lands within the region. At the time of the Royal inventory, the monastery of São João de Cabanas was controlled by the Royal court, and King Sancho I (in 1187). Father Carvalho, around this time, listed Afife, in whole or in part, pertained to King Afonso III, granted half of this parish to the church of Santa Maria de Sá, in Ponte de Lima, in 1262, which pertained to the Episcopal seat of Tui, in exchange for patronage of Santa Maria da Vinha in Areosa. This was supported by documents in the possession of the Bishop of Tui, around 1258–1259, that situated the territory (within the territory of Entre Lima and Minho), as "medietas domini regis". King Denis later provided a tax in 1320, to elaborate the parish, situating the parish of Santa Cristina de Afife within the Terra de Vinha. In the census of Diogo de Sousa (1514–1532), which was used to specify the annual payments to the archdiocese by the 140 residents, Afife is mentioned as a place within the municipality of Viana. A similar census by friar Baltasar Limpo (1551–1581) noted that Santa Cristina de Afife was part of the Terra de Viana, which was partially owned by the clergy of the Monastery of São Salvador. In the 16th century, Afife was a rectory of the convent of São Domingos de Viana, and under the military jurisdiction of the Order of Christ. Geography Afife is located along the northern border of the municipality of Viana do Castelo, approximately 10 kilometres from the municipal seat. It is neighbours include the civil parish of Vila Praia de Âncora (municipality of Caminha) and Freixieiro de Soutelo (in the municipality of Viana do Castelo) to the north; the parish of Carreço, and a small area of the parish of Areosa, (within the municipality of Viana do Castelo) to the south; the parish of Outeiro to the east; and fronting the Atlantic Ocean in the west. Situated between the ocean and Santa Luzia mountains, Afife is situated in an ecological landscape that includes white sand beaches, along its coast. The Cabanas River is the main affluente in the parish, whose source lies