| Ourique | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Municipality — | |||
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| Location in Portugal | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Portugal | ||
| Region | Alentejo | ||
| Subregion | Baixo Alentejo | ||
| District/A.R. | Beja | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Pedro Carmo (PS) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 663.4 km2 (256.1 sq mi) | ||
| Population | |||
| • Total | 5,842 | ||
| • Density | 9/km2 (23.3/sq mi) | ||
| Parishes (no.) | 6 | ||
| Municipal holiday | September 8 |
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| Website | http://cm-ourique.pt/ | ||
Ourique (Portuguese pronunciation: [owˈɾik(ɨ)]) is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 663.4 km² and a total population of 5,842 inhabitants.
The municipality is composed of 6 parishes, and is located in the District of Beja.
The present Mayor is Pedro Prazeres Carmo, elected by the Socialist Party.
The municipal holiday is September 8.
This town is traditionally considered the site of the famous Battle of Ourique in 1139, which saw the forces of Portuguese Prince Afonso Henriques defeat the Moors. There is no certainty about the exact location of the battle, although it is typically pronounced that the event occurred in the countryside between the town of Castro Verde and Ourique. After a terrible and lengthy fight, what remained of the five Moorish kings army was lost in the Alentejo plains, thus fulfilling what was considered, from them onwards, a divine miracle; forever part of the popular imaginary of Castro Verde.[1]
In the legend, Afonso Henriques is visited before the battle by an old man who saw in a dream that Henriques would be victorious because God would intervene in his favour. He advised the nobleman to leave the encampment alone when he heard the bell of the local chapel. Riding off he was surprised by a ray of light that showed him (in one interpretation) the sign of the cross and Jesus Christ on a crucifix. Afonso Henriques knelt in its presence and heard the voice of Christ who told him he would defeat the Moors, which he, through courage and his faith, succeeded the following day Afonso Henriques was declared king of Portugal and he included five shields in his coat of arms, representing the five defeated kingdoms. To commemorate the outstanding victory, king D. Sebastião later ordered the construction of St. Peter of the Heads Chapel.
There was also a historic meteorite shower here in 1998.
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