Mischievous saint gets to the bottom of parishioners' woes

If another church had not grabbed the name, it might be called the Church of Moonies. For a small chapel at Murtosa, northern Portugal, is the only Roman Catholic church where it is acceptable to drop your trousers and show your bum.

The reason? The local saint, an allegedly mischievous chap called Goncalo, has a reputation for curing haemorrhoids. All you have to do is show him the affected region, say a prayer and, according to locals, bottom pain becomes a thing of the past.

The saint, a colourful 13th century priest, is also said to perform the miracle of casting out that most devilish of problems - teenage acne.

Villagers say people have been showing Saint Goncalo their bottoms for decades, often as a sign of thanks for having their prayers answered and their haemorrhoids eliminated.

Antonio Amador, a local doctor and member of the church, said that several years ago a young woman with severe acne wanted to pray nude in the church, but the local priest was "a bit conservative" and would not allow it. "Instead, she wrapped herself in a sheet and prayed outside the church," Dr Amador said.

"Women came in their nightwear and the men in their drawers. They would come with a basket full of corn cakes and break them in front of the saint, before eating them with sausages," a pensioner, Maria do Carmo, said. "It was even worse in the old days," she said. "At least people have a bit of shame nowadays."

Jose Oliveira, a 52-year-old gardener, said he knew many people who had lowered their trousers to the saint. He remembered asking for Goncalo's help after a big, ugly spot appeared on his throat.

"My son Paulo often comes here because of his acne, " he added.

The mischievous Saint Goncalo has a loyal local following. Every June, during a festival in his honour in the nearby town of Amarante, unmarried men and women exchange penis-shaped cakes as tokens of their affection.