Santarém, Portugal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Santarém Municipal coat of arms
Location
- Country	Portugal
- Region	Alentejo
- Subregion	Lezíria do Tejo
- District or A.R.	Santarém
Mayor	Francisco Moita Flores
- Party	PSD
Area	560.3 km²
Population
- Total	64,124
- Density	114/km²
No. of parishes	28
Coordinates	39º12'N 8º42'W
Municipal holiday	March 19
Website: http://www.cm-santarem.pt

Santarém (pron. IPA [sɐ̃tɐ'ɾɐ̃ĩ]) is a Portuguese municipality with 64,124 inhabitants.

It is the capital of the district of Santarém.

The present Mayor is Francisco Moita Flores, elected by the Social Democratic Party.

The municipal holiday is March 19.

Contents 1 Geography 2 Parishes 3 History 4 Historical attractions 5 External links

[edit] Geography

The city of Santarém stands on a plateau, on the right bank of the Tagus river, 65km northeast from Lisbon.

[edit] Parishes

• Abitureiras
• Abrã
• Achete
• Alcanede
• Alcanhões
• Almoster
• Amiais de Baixo
• Arneiro das Milhariças
• Azoia de Baixo
• Azoia de Cima
• Casével
• Gançaria
• Moçarria
• Pernes
• Pombalinho
• Póvoa da Isenta
• Póvoa de Santarém
• Romeira
• Santarém (Marvila)
• Santarém (São Nicolau)
• Santarém (São Salvador)
• São Vicente do Paúl
• Santa Iria da Ribeira de Santarém
• Tremês
• Vale de Figueira
• Vale de Santarém
• Vaqueiros
• Várzea

[edit] History

The region of Santarém has been inhabited since pre-historic times, first by the Lusitani people, and then by the Phoenicians, Romans, Visigoths, Moors and Portuguese Christians. Of the various legends related to the foundation of Santarém, the most famous tells of the Visigoth Saint Iria (or Irene), who was supposedly martyred in Tomar (Nabantia) and whose uncorrupted body reached Santarém. The name of the town would be a misspronounciation of "Santa Iria".

The foundation of the city is attributed to the Romans, who occupied the region in the 2nd century BC and named the city Scalabis. During the Roman period, Scalabis was an important commercial post in the mid-Tagus region, and was the administrative capital of one of the regions (Conventus Escalabitanus) of Lusitania.

After the period of Visigoth domination, Santarém was taken in the 8th century by the Arabs, under whose rule the city became an important cultural centre. Important Arab personalities born in Santarém are the poet and historian Ibn Bassam (died 1147) and the poet Ibn Sara (1043-1123).

The period of Muslim domination was finished in 1147 by the first King of Portugal, Afonso Henriques. According to the chronicles, the King and a small army managed to take the city after some men climbed the walls during the night and opened the gates. The story of the conquest of Santarém is told in a heroic tone in the mediaeval chronicle de expugnatione Scalabis, which celebrates and justifies the power of the first Portuguese King. From the military point of view, the conquest of Santarém and, in that same year, of Lisbon were crucial steps in the Reconquista of Portugal.

After the reconquest of the Santarém, the city was frequently visited by the Kings, and many feudal parliaments (Cortes) were held in Santarém. King Fernando I, in particular, was very fond of the city and chose to be buried in the Convent of Saint Francis (his tomb is now in the Museum of Carmo in Lisbon). The city was indeed one of the most important in mediaeval Portugal, as attested by its large number of monasteries and its royal palace (now lost). There are still enough examples of gothic buildings in the city for it to be known as the "Capital of the Portuguese Gothic".

In the 15th century, during the period of Portuguese maritime explorations, expeditions like the conquest of Ceuta (1415) were planned in the royal palace of Santarém. Many important personalities related to this historical time are buried in the churches of Santarém. Pedro de Meneses, first governor of Ceuta (1415-1437) after the Portuguese conquest, is buried in a magnificent gothic tomb in the Church of the Grace (Igreja da Graça). In the same church is buried Pedro Alvares Cabral, the navigator that discovered Brazil in 1500.

The following centuries represented periods of decadence for Santarém. The big earthquake of 1755 hit the city hard, and many historical monuments were lost. During the Napoleonic invasions (early 19th century) the city was invaded and pillaged.

In the second half of the 19th century many improvements reached Santarém, like canalised water, gas light, the building of a bridge over the Tagus and the railway (1861). In the 20th century the infrastructure of the city (education, housing, commerce) continued to improve, and the economy of the city remained mainly dedicated to the production of agricultural goods.

[edit] Historical attractions

Santarém has a picturesque city centre with several monuments, including the largest and most varied ensemble of gothic churches in Portugal. These include fine examples of transitional romanesque-gothic, mendicant (plain style derived from the mendicant orders) and late (flamboyant) gothic. In addition, the city has nice examples of manueline, renaissance, mannerist and baroque architecture.

• Old Castle of Santarém (Largo das Portas do Sol): Located on a high slope over the Tagus river and the surrounding landscape, the site of the old castle of Santarém is now a nice garden that offers spectacular views. Part of the walls and towers of the castle are still preserved.
• Church of Saint John of Alporão (São João de Alporão): Built between the 12th and the 13th centuries by the Knights Hospitallers, this church is a fine example of transitional architecture, with a romanesque main portal and an early gothic main chapel and vaulting. The arches of the ambulatory of the main chapel show Arab (mudéjar) influences. The church now houses a small Archaeological Museum. Its most important piece is the flamboyant gothic tomb of Duarte de Meneses, missed in a battle in North Africa in 1465. His magnificent tomb is empty.
• Cabaças Tower (Torre das Cabaças): Ancient defensive tower of the mediaeval wall of the city. Houses the Time Museum with an exhibition about the measurement of time through the ages.
• Fountain of the Fig Tree (Fonte da Figueira): Rare example of a 14th century fountain in Portugal, decorated with merlons and coats-of-arms of Portugal and King Dinis I.
• Convent of Saint Claire (Santa Clara): 13th century feminine convent. Good example of Portuguese mendicant gothic style.
• Convent of Saint Francis (São Francisco): Another 13th century convent in medicant style. Has a nice gothic cloister. King Ferdinand I was buried here.
• Church of the Grace (Igreja da Graça): Built between the 14th and 15th centuries in a mix of mendicant and flamboyant gothic styles. Has a magnificent main portal and rose window that shows the influence of the Monastery of Batalha. The first governor of Ceuta Pedro de Meneses (died 1437) and his wife are buried here in a magnificent gothic tomb with their recumbent figures holding each other's hands. Pedro Alvares Cabral, discoverer of Brazil, and his wife are buried under a simple slab near the main chapel.
• Church of Marvila: This 16th century-chuch has nice portal and main chapel in manueline style. The nave and pulpit are in early renaissance style. The interior walls are covered with 17th century-multicoloured tiles with geometric patterns. It has one of the most outstanding tile-based interior decorations in Portugal.
• Cathedral of Santarém: Built in the 17th century in mannerist style as the Jesuit church of the city, it became the Seminary church after the Jesuits were expelled from Portugal in the mid-18th century.The interior decoration is very rich, with altarpieces from various periods and styles (mannerist and baroque) and a ceiling with an illusionist painting. Since the 1970's it is the Cathedral of Santarém. The site of the church and seminary was previously occupied by the mediaeval royal palace of Santarém.

[edit] External links

• Municipality official website

• Photos from Santarém

• Santarém District Website