Portugal / Alentejo

Elvas is a Portuguese town near the Spanish border, about 15 km west of Badajoz, Spain. Extensively fortified from the 17th to 19th centuries, the site represents the largest fortified dry moat system in the world. Within its city walls are barracks and other military buildings as well as churches and monasteries. The fortification of Elvas began during the Portuguese Restoration War. The fortifications played an important role in the Battle of the Lines of Elvas in 1659. The fortifications were designed by the Dutch Jesuit Padre João Piscásio Cosmander and represent the best surviving example of the Dutch fortification school anywhere. UNESCO added the fortifications and the entire historic center of the city to the World Heritage List in 2012.

Elvas is a Portuguese town near the Spanish border, about 15 km west of Badajoz, Spain. Extensively fortified from the 17th to 19th centuries, the site represents the largest fortified dry moat system in the world. Within its city walls are barracks and other military buildings as well as churches and monasteries. The fortification of Elvas began during the Portuguese Restoration War. The fortifications played an important role in the Battle of the Lines of Elvas in 1659. The fortifications were designed by the Dutch Jesuit Padre João Piscásio Cosmander and represent the best surviving example of the Dutch fortification school anywhere. UNESCO added the fortifications and the entire historic center of the city to the World Heritage List in 2012. The Arabs used the water of the Alcalá Well. However, from the 15th century onwards, due to the increase in population, the well was no longer sufficient to supply the city with water. The local council considered building an aqueduct that would transport water from the outskirts of the city, at the Amoreira site, to the city center. In 1537, João III commissioned. of Portugal Francisco de Arruda with the execution of the project for the new Elvas Aqueduct. Work began the same year but after some years the work became increasingly expensive, although the taxes charged to the city's residents to build the aqueduct increased over the years. In 1547 the work stopped due to lack of money and only resumed in 1571. This second construction campaign lasted until 1580, when the accession of Philip I of Portugal led to another interruption of work. Work resumed at the beginning of the 17th century and around 1610 it was concluded that the project of the aqueduct needed to be changed to give it more height. This decision further delayed the completion of the work. Finally, in 1620, the first water flowed through the aqueduct within the city walls.

The Romans conquered the place in 57 BC. BC and expanded it into a walled city. The city gained importance because it was at the intersection of several important transport routes. During the barbarian invasions, Évora came under the rule of the Visigothic king Leovigild in 584. In 715, the city was conquered by the Moors. During the Moorish rule (715–1165), the town slowly began to prosper again and developed into an agricultural center with a fortress and a mosque. Évora was wrested from the Moors through an attack by Geraldo Sem Pavor ("Gerald the Fearless") in 1165. The town came under the rule of the Portuguese king Afonso I in 1166. It then flourished during the Middle Ages, especially in the 15th century. A Chapelaria

The Romans conquered the place in 57 BC. BC and expanded it into a walled city. The city gained importance because it was at the intersection of several important transport routes. During the barbarian invasions, Évora came under the rule of the Visigothic king Leovigild in 584. In 715, the city was conquered by the Moors. During the Moorish rule (715–1165), the town slowly began to prosper again and developed into an agricultural center with a fortress and a mosque. Évora was wrested from the Moors through an attack by Geraldo Sem Pavor ("Gerald the Fearless") in 1165. The town came under the rule of the Portuguese king Afonso I in 1166. It then flourished during the Middle Ages, especially in the 15th century. The "Praça do Giraldo" is the center of the city. The name of the "Giraldo Square" refers to "Gerald the Fearless". In the back is the "Iglesia de San Antonio Abad".

The Romans conquered the place in 57 BC. BC and expanded it into a walled city. The city gained importance because it was at the intersection of several important transport routes. During the barbarian invasions, Évora came under the rule of the Visigothic king Leovigild in 584. In 715, the city was conquered by the Moors. During the Moorish rule (715–1165), the town slowly began to prosper again and developed into an agricultural center with a fortress and a mosque. Évora was wrested from the Moors through an attack by Geraldo Sem Pavor ("Gerald the Fearless") in 1165. The town came under the rule of the Portuguese king Afonso I in 1166. It then flourished during the Middle Ages, especially in the 15th century. The temple is believed to have been constructed around the first century CE in honor of Augustus. The temple was destroyed during the 5th century by invading Germanic peoples. In 1467, King Afonso V of Portugal authorized Soeiro Mendes to remove stones from the structure for building purposes and defense. The ruins of the temple were incorporated into a tower of the Castle of Évora during the Middle Ages. The base, columns and architraves of the temple were kept embedded in the walls of the medieval building. The temple-turned-tower was used as a butcher shop from the 14th century until 1836. The first reconstitution of the temple's appearance occurred in 1789. In 1840, Cunha Rivara obtained the right to dispose of the buildings annexed to the monument. These structures were demolished, and the first great archaeological excavation was undertaken.

The Romans conquered the place in 57 BC. BC and expanded it into a walled city. The city gained importance because it was at the intersection of several important transport routes. During the barbarian invasions, Évora came under the rule of the Visigothic king Leovigild in 584. In 715, the city was conquered by the Moors. During the Moorish rule (715–1165), the town slowly began to prosper again and developed into an agricultural center with a fortress and a mosque. Évora was wrested from the Moors through an attack by Geraldo Sem Pavor ("Gerald the Fearless") in 1165. The town came under the rule of the Portuguese king Afonso I in 1166. It then flourished during the Middle Ages, especially in the 15th century. Since the 14th century the market was held in what is now Plaça do Giraldo. However, the market was moved to Plaça 1º de Maio in 1880. In 1903, the fish market was built. The markets have been closed for some years, but have been active again since 2006.

The Romans conquered the place in 57 BC. BC and expanded it into a walled city. The city gained importance because it was at the intersection of several important transport routes. During the barbarian invasions, Évora came under the rule of the Visigothic king Leovigild in 584. In 715, the city was conquered by the Moors. During the Moorish rule (715–1165), the town slowly began to prosper again and developed into an agricultural center with a fortress and a mosque. Évora was wrested from the Moors through an attack by Geraldo Sem Pavor ("Gerald the Fearless") in 1165. The town came under the rule of the Portuguese king Afonso I in 1166. It then flourished during the Middle Ages, especially in the 15th century. Since the 14th century the market was held in what is now Plaça do Giraldo. However, the market was moved to Plaça 1º de Maio in 1880. In 1903, the fish market was built. The markets have been closed for some years, but have been active again since 2006. The fish market. After hours.

The Romans conquered the place in 57 BC. BC and expanded it into a walled city. The city gained importance because it was at the intersection of several important transport routes. During the barbarian invasions, Évora came under the rule of the Visigothic king Leovigild in 584. In 715, the city was conquered by the Moors. During the Moorish rule (715–1165), the town slowly began to prosper again and developed into an agricultural center with a fortress and a mosque. Évora was wrested from the Moors through an attack by Geraldo Sem Pavor ("Gerald the Fearless") in 1165. The town came under the rule of the Portuguese king Afonso I in 1166. It then flourished during the Middle Ages, especially in the 15th century. Construction of a cathedral began in 1186. The consecration took place already in 1204. The building has Romanesque and Gothic features. The pointed barrels over the central nave and transept and the pointed arched cross vaults of the side aisles correspond to the pattern of Cluny III and Paray-le-Monial. The tracery above the main portal is High Gothic. Between 1317 and 1340 the cloister was added in the Gothic style. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the choir, pulpit, baptistery and the chapel of Our Lady of Mercy followed in Manueline style. The main chapel was replaced in the Baroque style in the first half of the 18th century. The cathedral has a cruciform floor plan and is 70 meters long. This is the largest cathedral in Portugal.

The Romans conquered the place in 57 BC. BC and expanded it into a walled city. The city gained importance because it was at the intersection of several important transport routes. During the barbarian invasions, Évora came under the rule of the Visigothic king Leovigild in 584. In 715, the city was conquered by the Moors. During the Moorish rule (715–1165), the town slowly began to prosper again and developed into an agricultural center with a fortress and a mosque. Évora was wrested from the Moors through an attack by Geraldo Sem Pavor ("Gerald the Fearless") in 1165. The town came under the rule of the Portuguese king Afonso I in 1166. It then flourished during the Middle Ages, especially in the 15th century. Construction of a cathedral began in 1186. The consecration took place already in 1204. The building has Romanesque and Gothic features. The pointed barrels over the central nave and transept and the pointed arched cross vaults of the side aisles correspond to the pattern of Cluny III and Paray-le-Monial. The tracery above the main portal is High Gothic. Between 1317 and 1340 the cloister was added in the Gothic style. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the choir, pulpit, baptistery and the chapel of Our Lady of Mercy followed in Manueline style. The main chapel was replaced in the Baroque style in the first half of the 18th century. The cathedral has a cruciform floor plan and is 70 meters long. This is the largest cathedral in Portugal. The portal is reminiscent of the early Gothic portals of northern France.

The Romans conquered the place in 57 BC. BC and expanded it into a walled city. The city gained importance because it was at the intersection of several important transport routes. During the barbarian invasions, Évora came under the rule of the Visigothic king Leovigild in 584. In 715, the city was conquered by the Moors. During the Moorish rule (715–1165), the town slowly began to prosper again and developed into an agricultural center with a fortress and a mosque. Évora was wrested from the Moors through an attack by Geraldo Sem Pavor ("Gerald the Fearless") in 1165. The town came under the rule of the Portuguese king Afonso I in 1166. It then flourished during the Middle Ages, especially in the 15th century. Construction of a cathedral began in 1186. The consecration took place already in 1204. The building has Romanesque and Gothic features. The pointed barrels over the central nave and transept and the pointed arched cross vaults of the side aisles correspond to the pattern of Cluny III and Paray-le-Monial. The tracery above the main portal is High Gothic. Between 1317 and 1340 the cloister was added in the Gothic style. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the choir, pulpit, baptistery and the chapel of Our Lady of Mercy followed in Manueline style. The main chapel was replaced in the Baroque style in the first half of the 18th century. The cathedral has a cruciform floor plan and is 70 meters long. This is the largest cathedral in Portugal.

The Romans conquered the place in 57 BC. BC and expanded it into a walled city. The city gained importance because it was at the intersection of several important transport routes. During the barbarian invasions, Évora came under the rule of the Visigothic king Leovigild in 584. In 715, the city was conquered by the Moors. During the Moorish rule (715–1165), the town slowly began to prosper again and developed into an agricultural center with a fortress and a mosque. Évora was wrested from the Moors through an attack by Geraldo Sem Pavor ("Gerald the Fearless") in 1165. The town came under the rule of the Portuguese king Afonso I in 1166. It then flourished during the Middle Ages, especially in the 15th century. Construction of a cathedral began in 1186. The consecration took place already in 1204. The building has Romanesque and Gothic features. The pointed barrels over the central nave and transept and the pointed arched cross vaults of the side aisles correspond to the pattern of Cluny III and Paray-le-Monial. The tracery above the main portal is High Gothic. Between 1317 and 1340 the cloister was added in the Gothic style. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the choir, pulpit, baptistery and the chapel of Our Lady of Mercy followed in Manueline style. The main chapel was replaced in the Baroque style in the first half of the 18th century. The cathedral has a cruciform floor plan and is 70 meters long. This is the largest cathedral in Portugal. Who is that dwarf up there?

The Romans conquered the place in 57 BC. BC and expanded it into a walled city. The city gained importance because it was at the intersection of several important transport routes. During the barbarian invasions, Évora came under the rule of the Visigothic king Leovigild in 584. In 715, the city was conquered by the Moors. During the Moorish rule (715–1165), the town slowly began to prosper again and developed into an agricultural center with a fortress and a mosque. Évora was wrested from the Moors through an attack by Geraldo Sem Pavor ("Gerald the Fearless") in 1165. The town came under the rule of the Portuguese king Afonso I in 1166. It then flourished during the Middle Ages, especially in the 15th century. Construction of a cathedral began in 1186. The consecration took place already in 1204. The building has Romanesque and Gothic features. The pointed barrels over the central nave and transept and the pointed arched cross vaults of the side aisles correspond to the pattern of Cluny III and Paray-le-Monial. The tracery above the main portal is High Gothic. Between 1317 and 1340 the cloister was added in the Gothic style. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the choir, pulpit, baptistery and the chapel of Our Lady of Mercy followed in Manueline style. The main chapel was replaced in the Baroque style in the first half of the 18th century. The cathedral has a cruciform floor plan and is 70 meters long. This is the largest cathedral in Portugal. The cathedral's cloister was built between 1317 and 1340 in the Gothic style

The Romans conquered the place in 57 BC. BC and expanded it into a walled city. The city gained importance because it was at the intersection of several important transport routes. During the barbarian invasions, Évora came under the rule of the Visigothic king Leovigild in 584. In 715, the city was conquered by the Moors. During the Moorish rule (715–1165), the town slowly began to prosper again and developed into an agricultural center with a fortress and a mosque. Évora was wrested from the Moors through an attack by Geraldo Sem Pavor ("Gerald the Fearless") in 1165. The town came under the rule of the Portuguese king Afonso I in 1166. It then flourished during the Middle Ages, especially in the 15th century. Construction of a cathedral began in 1186. The consecration took place already in 1204. The building has Romanesque and Gothic features. The pointed barrels over the central nave and transept and the pointed arched cross vaults of the side aisles correspond to the pattern of Cluny III and Paray-le-Monial. The tracery above the main portal is High Gothic. Between 1317 and 1340 the cloister was added in the Gothic style. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the choir, pulpit, baptistery and the chapel of Our Lady of Mercy followed in Manueline style. The main chapel was replaced in the Baroque style in the first half of the 18th century. The cathedral has a cruciform floor plan and is 70 meters long. This is the largest cathedral in Portugal. The cathedral's cloister was built between 1317 and 1340 in the Gothic style

The Romans conquered the place in 57 BC. BC and expanded it into a walled city. The city gained importance because it was at the intersection of several important transport routes. During the barbarian invasions, Évora came under the rule of the Visigothic king Leovigild in 584. In 715, the city was conquered by the Moors. During the Moorish rule (715–1165), the town slowly began to prosper again and developed into an agricultural center with a fortress and a mosque. Évora was wrested from the Moors through an attack by Geraldo Sem Pavor ("Gerald the Fearless") in 1165. The town came under the rule of the Portuguese king Afonso I in 1166. It then flourished during the Middle Ages, especially in the 15th century. Construction of a cathedral began in 1186. The consecration took place already in 1204. The building has Romanesque and Gothic features. The pointed barrels over the central nave and transept and the pointed arched cross vaults of the side aisles correspond to the pattern of Cluny III and Paray-le-Monial. The tracery above the main portal is High Gothic. Between 1317 and 1340 the cloister was added in the Gothic style. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the choir, pulpit, baptistery and the chapel of Our Lady of Mercy followed in Manueline style. The main chapel was replaced in the Baroque style in the first half of the 18th century. The cathedral has a cruciform floor plan and is 70 meters long. This is the largest cathedral in Portugal. The cathedral's Gothic rose window

The Romans conquered the place in 57 BC. BC and expanded it into a walled city. The city gained importance because it was at the intersection of several important transport routes. During the barbarian invasions, Évora came under the rule of the Visigothic king Leovigild in 584. In 715, the city was conquered by the Moors. During the Moorish rule (715–1165), the town slowly began to prosper again and developed into an agricultural center with a fortress and a mosque. Évora was wrested from the Moors through an attack by Geraldo Sem Pavor ("Gerald the Fearless") in 1165. The town came under the rule of the Portuguese king Afonso I in 1166. It then flourished during the Middle Ages, especially in the 15th century. The Royal Palace of Évora has its origins in the Convent and College of São Francisco, built before the reign of King Afonso IV. In 1387, King John I took the first step in transforming the convent into a palace, when he ordered that two chambers, and antechamber, an inn, servants houses, a well, and an orange grove all be built at the convent, and evicted resident Franciscans from certain wings of the convent turned palace. In 1470, King Afonso V raised the Palace of São Francisco, as it was known, to the level of a royal palace. He expanded the complex and installed his court there. The King spent large sums of time at the palace, but after his defeat in the War of the Castilian Succession, he lived the rest of his life in a monastery. King Afonso V's son, King John II, was the first king to use the palace as a full-time palace He installed the Portuguese Cortes, his parliaments, in the Royal Palace of Évora. In 1490, King John II opened the Portuguese Cortes once again at the palace and on 24 March 1490, the palace became the center of festivities for the marriage of Afonso, Prince of Portugal to Isabella, Princess of Asturias. To facilitate the marriage celebrations, King John II expanded the palace, through the construction of a new wing and gardens. In 1495, Pope Alexander VI granted King John II, as per his request, the right to completely evict all clergymen still residing in the convent part of the palace, so long that he built them a church and a new convent. With King John II's death, in 1495, his cousin, Manuel I, succeeded him as King Manuel I of Portugal. He took a great interest in Évora, establishing his court there on various occasions. From 1502 to 1520, King Manuel I ordered a vast series of renovations, constructions, and enlargements. So the palace grew to one of the largest palaces in Iberia. The additions were inspired by Alhambra of Granada. Most of the complex was destroyed during the Portuguese Restoration War. Since 1865, the Palace was used as an Archaeological Museum, theater and exhibition space, until a collapse in, 1881 destroyed its roofs. After the disaster, it was adapted to the public theater house. In March 1916 it was destroyed by fire, and remained so until 1943, when it was recovered by the National Monuments, which restored the property and saved the essential parts of the old pavilion All that remains today, of the Royal Palace of Évora, is the Gallery of Dames.

The Romans conquered the place in 57 BC. BC and expanded it into a walled city. The city gained importance because it was at the intersection of several important transport routes. During the barbarian invasions, Évora came under the rule of the Visigothic king Leovigild in 584. In 715, the city was conquered by the Moors. During the Moorish rule (715–1165), the town slowly began to prosper again and developed into an agricultural center with a fortress and a mosque. Évora was wrested from the Moors through an attack by Geraldo Sem Pavor ("Gerald the Fearless") in 1165. The town came under the rule of the Portuguese king Afonso I in 1166. It then flourished during the Middle Ages, especially in the 15th century. The Igreja de São Francisco was built in Gothic-Manueline style between 1475 and 1550, replacing an earlier Romanesque church of 1226.

The Romans conquered the place in 57 BC. BC and expanded it into a walled city. The city gained importance because it was at the intersection of several important transport routes. During the barbarian invasions, Évora came under the rule of the Visigothic king Leovigild in 584. In 715, the city was conquered by the Moors. During the Moorish rule (715–1165), the town slowly began to prosper again and developed into an agricultural center with a fortress and a mosque. Évora was wrested from the Moors through an attack by Geraldo Sem Pavor ("Gerald the Fearless") in 1165. The town came under the rule of the Portuguese king Afonso I in 1166. It then flourished during the Middle Ages, especially in the 15th century. The Igreja de São Francisco was built in Gothic-Manueline style between 1475 and 1550, replacing an earlier Romanesque church of 1226.

The Romans conquered the place in 57 BC. BC and expanded it into a walled city. The city gained importance because it was at the intersection of several important transport routes. During the barbarian invasions, Évora came under the rule of the Visigothic king Leovigild in 584. In 715, the city was conquered by the Moors. During the Moorish rule (715–1165), the town slowly began to prosper again and developed into an agricultural center with a fortress and a mosque. Évora was wrested from the Moors through an attack by Geraldo Sem Pavor ("Gerald the Fearless") in 1165. The town came under the rule of the Portuguese king Afonso I in 1166. It then flourished during the Middle Ages, especially in the 15th century. The Igreja de São Francisco was built in Gothic-Manueline style between 1475 and 1550, replacing an earlier Romanesque church of 1226. The Igreja de São Francisco is famous for the "Capela dos Ossos" ("Chapel of Bones"). The chapel was built in the 17th century, following a model in vogue at the time, to provoke through its image reflection on the transience of human life. Both the walls and the pillars are covered with thousands of bones and skulls, from the burial spaces connected to the convent.