Portalegre
Portalegre was founded in the reign of Afonso III, in 1259. It was to be given to his bastard son Afonso Sanches.
In Denis I reign, by a foral of 18 November 1299, it was determined that Portalegre would be donated to the king himself and later to his first born and heir.
View of Portalegre from the distance. The church at the left is the cathedral of the city.
Portalegre was elevated to the status of city on 23 May 1550, by John III. At this time, the city was regarded as an important administrative and economic centre. In the 15th century, it was already recognized for its cloth manufacturing.
As it is near the frontier with Spain it always suffered lots of invasions from foreign troops: in 1704 (during the War of the Spanish Succession), it was attacked and conquered by the army of Felipe V; again in 1801 during the War of the Oranges, it surrendered to the Spanish Army, this way trying to counter the French dominion. In 1847 it was occupied by forces of Spanish General Concha.
The importance of Portalegre would come to be recognized in 1859, when it became capital of the Portalegre District.
What to visit in Portalegre
Museu da Cortiça; Portalegre; Casa; Museu da Tapeçaria de Portalegre Guy Fino; Cortiça; Núcleo; Castelo de Portalegre; Castelo de Alegrete; Portas da antiga muralha (no passado existiam 7 portas (alguns estudiosos falam em 8), das quais só subsistem); Igreja do Bonfim; Sé Catedral (século XVI); Seminário de Portalegre (século XX), inaugurado em 1955; Igreja do Nosso Senhor do Bonfim (século XVIII); Convento de São Bernardo (século XVI), onde desde 2009 funciona a Escola Prática da Guarda Nacional Republicana; Convento de Santa Clara (século XIV), atualmente a Biblioteca Municipal de Portalegre; Convento jesuíta de São Sebastião (século XVII), Fábrica Real de Lanifícios a partir do século XVIII, sede da câmara municipal desde 2005; Capela do Calvário (século XVII ou XVIII); Capela de Sant’Ana (século XVIII); Igreja de São Lourenço.
No Distrito
Alter do Chão; Arronches; Avis; Campo Maior; Castelo de Vide; Crato; Elvas; Fronteira; Marvão; Monforte; Nisa; Ponte de Sôr; Sousel
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