Santa Maria da Feira
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| Location | ||||||
| - Country |  Portugal |
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| - Region | Norte | |||||
| - Subregion | Entre Douro e Vouga | |||||
| - District or A.R. | Aveiro | |||||
| Mayor | Alfredo Henriques | |||||
| - Party | PSD | |||||
| Area | 215.1 km² | |||||
| Population | ||||||
| - Total | 140,494 | |||||
| - Density | 661/km² | |||||
| No. of parishes | 31 | |||||
| Coordinates | 40º56'N 8º32'W | |||||
| Municipal holiday | Saint Sebastian January 20 |
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| Website: http://www.cm-feira.pt | ||||||
Santa Maria da Feira (pron. IPA: ['sɐ̃tɐ mɐ'ɾiɐ dɐ 'fɐiɾɐ]) is a city and a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 215.1 km² and a total population of 140,494 inhabitants, and 107,458 electors.
The municipality is composed of 31 parishes, and is located in the District of Aveiro. The municipality includes several towns and 3 cities:Santa Maria da Feira,Fiães and Lourosa.
The present Mayor is Alfredo de Oliveira Henriques, elected by the Social Democratic Party.
The municipal holiday is January 20. It's the day when the whole municipality celebrates the Fogaceiras. The Fogaceiras is a special local holiday. During the Middle Ages, the lands of Santa Maria (as it was known back then) were infested by the dark plague. To get rid of this calamity, the locals offered a sugared bread, called fogaça, to the patron saint Saint Sebastien. The Fogaceiras have been celebrated for five hundred years, since the eradication of the dark plague.
The municipality has a science museum, the Visionarium.
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[edit] Parishes
- Argoncilhe
- Arrifana
- Caldas de São Jorge
- Canedo
- Escapães
- Espargo
- Feira
- Fiães
- Fornos
- Gião
- Guisande
- Lobão
- Louredo
- Lourosa
- Milheirós de Poiares
- Mosteiró
- Mozelos
- Nogueira da Regedoura
- Paços de Brandão
- Pigeiros
- Rio Meão
- Romariz
- Sanfins
- Sanguedo
- Santa Maria de Lamas
- São João de Ver
- São Paio de Oleiros
- Souto
- Travanca
- Vale
- Vila Maior
[edit] Economy
Santa Maria da Feira is a heavily industrialized municipality and is famous for its several cork transforming and shoes factories. The seat of the municipality is Feira, famous for its medieval castle which was the residence of Portugal's first king, Afonso Henriques, for a short period of time. The castle, located in the top of a hill, was of a considerate strategic importance during its time.
Every year, in summer, a medieval festival takes place in Santa Maria da Feira - Feira Medieval - during which the city goes back to the Middle Ages.
[edit] Gallery
 Fogaça - typical sweet bread |
 Castle at Santa Maria da Feira |
 Medieval festival parade |
[edit] External links
- Town Hall official website
- Feirense web
- Info at the Portuguese Association of Municipalities website
- Photos from Santa Maria da Feira
- More pictures of Santa Maria da Feira
- Videos from Santa Maria da Feira
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