Alvor (Portimão)
Encyclopedia
Alvor is a civil parish in the municipality of Portimão
, in the southern Algarve of Portugal
. In 2001 its population was 4997 inhabitants in an area of approximately 15.25 km².
General Aníbal Barca as a commercial port, which he named Portus Hannibalis. The settlement grew around the sea, near the place called Vila Velha, where a Celt
ic castro
dominated the river mouth during the Iron Age
. It is likely that it was the Roman colony of Ipses, which was authorized to mint currency, and was absorbed during the Roman era.
Taken by the Moors in 716, the settlement began to be referred to as Albur, and gained an impressive castle, with only vestiges remaining.
, with help from Crusader forces. It was retaken two years, and definitively reconquered in 1250. Rebuilt by KingDenis
in 1300, it served for 500 years the coastal defences against attacks by pirates and privateers until it was destroyed in 1755 by the tsunami and earthquake that devastated Lisbon.
By royal decree of Afonso V
, dated 22 May 1469, it was raised to the status of Countship, under the seigneurial title bestowed to Afonso, Count of Faro
. But, this title did not extend beyond this period, as the Count of Faro was implicated in a conspiracy against John II of Portugal
(in 1483-84), and it reverted to the Crown.
During the reign of John II, Alvor continued to receive patronage, the king dying on 25 October 1495 in the palace of Álvaro de Ataíde after catching a chill in Monchique (the residence, which was situated on Rua do Poço, was located near the supposed hydrothermal springs of Caldas de Monchique).
The Prince Regent ordered, in the name of Manuel of Portugal
, the elevation of Alvor to vila (town) on 28 February 1495, which was confirmed in a secondary diploma on 28 December 1498.
In the closing decades of the 15th century Alvor was a centre of the Jewish community in Portugal.
visited the municipality on 27 January 1573, staying on the 24-25 in Alvor, where he visited the houses (now in ruins) where in 1495 King John II died. At that time the alcaide already pertained to the Count of Odemira.
The first foral
was issued during the reign of Phillip II of Spain during the Iberian Union
on 13 December 1585.
Friar
João de São José declared, in 1577, that Alvor was a transit port for fully loaded ships (carracks and battleships), while Fernandes Serrão (around 1606) referred to settlement of 240 homes, a heavily defended by its fort, that helped to serve a local fishing fleet and local exports. There is also mention of the localities of Montes de Baixo and Montes de Cima, colloquially known as the Freires since there were a proponderance of residents from that family living in the region.
The Matriz Church was constructed in the early part of the 16th century by Ataide family, alcades of the vila, donatorio
s with many privileges and lands (it was likely Álvaro de Ataide's son who initiated the construction of the church in 1497).
In 1652 the Santa Casa da Misericórdia was first erected in the community.
By royal charter, issued by Peter II, the vila of Alvor was once again raised to Countship (4 February 1683) under Francisco de Távora, a nobleman who occupied several official duties and distinguished himself during the Battle of Montes Claros
. The title was later passed on to Bernardo de Távora, and then Luís Bernardo de Távora, eventually extinguished after the Távora affair
. The parish and the Távora assets were incorporated in the House of the Queens ( until 1773, when these were integrated into the parish when it was annexed into the municipality of Portimão.
Although the 1755 earthquake (1 November) resulted in the death of one person, it was responsible for the destruction of homes, the fort, the Facho tower, and the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Ajuda, in addition to altering the river's course. It was affects also resulted in the decrease of the local population by 1000 residents; by 1900 the population included less than 3014 souls, owing to the affects of the earthquake.
and Portimão
, and the municipality of Lagos
(parish of Odiáxere).
Portimão
Portimão is a Portuguese town located in the District of Faro in the Region of Algarve, the southern coast of Portugal. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão . In 1924, it was incorporated as a cidade and became known merely as Portimão. The town has 41,000 inhabitants and the Portimão...
, in the southern Algarve of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. In 2001 its population was 4997 inhabitants in an area of approximately 15.25 km².
History
Alvor was founded in 436 by the CarthaginianCarthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
General Aníbal Barca as a commercial port, which he named Portus Hannibalis. The settlement grew around the sea, near the place called Vila Velha, where a Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic castro
Castro culture
Castro culture is the archaeological term for naming the Celtic archaeological culture of the northwestern regions of the Iberian Peninsula from the end of the Bronze Age until it was subsumed in local Roman culture...
dominated the river mouth during the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
. It is likely that it was the Roman colony of Ipses, which was authorized to mint currency, and was absorbed during the Roman era.
Taken by the Moors in 716, the settlement began to be referred to as Albur, and gained an impressive castle, with only vestiges remaining.
Middle Ages
This bastion was conquered on 3 June 1189, by the forces of King Sancho I of PortugalSancho I of Portugal
Sancho I , nicknamed the Populator , second monarch of Portugal, was born on 11 November 1154 in Coimbra and died on 26 March 1212 in the same city. He was the second but only surviving legitimate son and fourth child of Afonso I of Portugal by his wife, Maud of Savoy. Sancho succeeded his father...
, with help from Crusader forces. It was retaken two years, and definitively reconquered in 1250. Rebuilt by KingDenis
Denis of Portugal
Dinis , called the Farmer King , was the sixth King of Portugal and the Algarve. The eldest son of Afonso III of Portugal by his second wife, Beatrice of Castile and grandson of king Alfonso X of Castile , Dinis succeeded his father in 1279.-Biography:As heir to the throne, Infante Dinis was...
in 1300, it served for 500 years the coastal defences against attacks by pirates and privateers until it was destroyed in 1755 by the tsunami and earthquake that devastated Lisbon.
By royal decree of Afonso V
Afonso V of Portugal
Afonso V KG , called the African , was the twelfth King of Portugal and the Algarves. His sobriquet refers to his conquests in Northern Africa.-Early life:...
, dated 22 May 1469, it was raised to the status of Countship, under the seigneurial title bestowed to Afonso, Count of Faro
Count of Faro
Count of Faro was a Portuguese title of nobility granted by royal decree issued on May 22, 1469, by King Afonso V of Portugal, to D. Afonso of Braganza , the third son of Fernando I, Duke of Braganza....
. But, this title did not extend beyond this period, as the Count of Faro was implicated in a conspiracy against John II of Portugal
John II of Portugal
John II , the Perfect Prince , was the thirteenth king of Portugal and the Algarves...
(in 1483-84), and it reverted to the Crown.
During the reign of John II, Alvor continued to receive patronage, the king dying on 25 October 1495 in the palace of Álvaro de Ataíde after catching a chill in Monchique (the residence, which was situated on Rua do Poço, was located near the supposed hydrothermal springs of Caldas de Monchique).
The Prince Regent ordered, in the name of Manuel of Portugal
Manuel of Portugal
-Kings:* Manuel I of Portugal , 14th King of Portugal* Manuel II of Portugal , 34th and last King of -Infante:* Infante Manuel, Count of Ourém , son of Peter II of Portugal...
, the elevation of Alvor to vila (town) on 28 February 1495, which was confirmed in a secondary diploma on 28 December 1498.
In the closing decades of the 15th century Alvor was a centre of the Jewish community in Portugal.
Monarchy
King SebastianSebastian of Portugal
Sebastian "the Desired" was the 16th king of Portugal and the Algarves. He was the son of Prince John of Portugal and his wife, Joan of Spain...
visited the municipality on 27 January 1573, staying on the 24-25 in Alvor, where he visited the houses (now in ruins) where in 1495 King John II died. At that time the alcaide already pertained to the Count of Odemira.
The first foral
Foral
thumb|left|200px|Foral of Castro Verde - PortugalThe word foral derives from the Portuguese word foro, ultimately from Latin forum, equivalent to Spanish fuero, Galician foro, Catalan furs and Basque foru ....
was issued during the reign of Phillip II of Spain during the Iberian Union
Iberian Union
The Iberian union was a political unit that governed all of the Iberian Peninsula south of the Pyrenees from 1580–1640, through a dynastic union between the monarchies of Portugal and Spain after the War of the Portuguese Succession...
on 13 December 1585.
Friar
Friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
João de São José declared, in 1577, that Alvor was a transit port for fully loaded ships (carracks and battleships), while Fernandes Serrão (around 1606) referred to settlement of 240 homes, a heavily defended by its fort, that helped to serve a local fishing fleet and local exports. There is also mention of the localities of Montes de Baixo and Montes de Cima, colloquially known as the Freires since there were a proponderance of residents from that family living in the region.
The Matriz Church was constructed in the early part of the 16th century by Ataide family, alcades of the vila, donatorio
Donatorio
A Donatário, a Portuguese word roughly meaning 'endowed' sometimes anglicized as Donatary, was a private person who was bestowed by the Crown with a considerable piece of land, called a donátaria, which was handed over at his discretion, exempt from normal colonial administration through some...
s with many privileges and lands (it was likely Álvaro de Ataide's son who initiated the construction of the church in 1497).
In 1652 the Santa Casa da Misericórdia was first erected in the community.
By royal charter, issued by Peter II, the vila of Alvor was once again raised to Countship (4 February 1683) under Francisco de Távora, a nobleman who occupied several official duties and distinguished himself during the Battle of Montes Claros
Battle of Montes Claros
The Battle of Montes Claros, was fought on June 17, 1665, near Vila Viçosa, between Spanish and Portuguese as the last battle in the Portuguese Restoration War....
. The title was later passed on to Bernardo de Távora, and then Luís Bernardo de Távora, eventually extinguished after the Távora affair
Távora affair
The Távora affair was a political scandal of the 18th century Portuguese court. The events triggered by the attempted murder of King Joseph I of Portugal in 1758 ended with the public execution of the entire Távora family and its closest relatives in 1759...
. The parish and the Távora assets were incorporated in the House of the Queens ( until 1773, when these were integrated into the parish when it was annexed into the municipality of Portimão.
Although the 1755 earthquake (1 November) resulted in the death of one person, it was responsible for the destruction of homes, the fort, the Facho tower, and the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Ajuda, in addition to altering the river's course. It was affects also resulted in the decrease of the local population by 1000 residents; by 1900 the population included less than 3014 souls, owing to the affects of the earthquake.
Republic
On 14 April 1988 the village once again attained the title of vila, under decree 42/88, owing to the economic, cultural and social development.Geography
The parish of Alvor is located along the southern coast of Portimão surrounded by its municipal neighbours Mexilhoeira GrandeMexilhoeira Grande (Portimão)
Mexilhoeira Grande is a freguesia in the municipality of Portimão ....
and Portimão
Portimão (parish)
Portimão is a freguesia in the municipality of Portimão .-Main sites:*Colégio dos Jesuítas Convent*Misericórdia Church*Nossa Senhora da Conceição Church*Santa Catarina Fort...
, and the municipality of Lagos
Lagos, Portugal
Lagos is a municipality at the mouth of Bensafrim River and along the Atlantic Ocean, in the Barlavento region of the Algarve, in southern Portugal....
(parish of Odiáxere).
Military
- Castle of AlvorAlvor CastleAlvor Castle is a castle in Alvor Parish, Faro District in southern Portugal.In a dominant position on a hill, opposite the Atlantic Ocean, is considered a significant military monument in the Algarve, with its history linked to the nearby Silves Castle....
- constructed in the 7th century, it was based on a Phoenician, later Greek and Carthaginian fort, constructed on a Lusitanian castroCastro cultureCastro culture is the archaeological term for naming the Celtic archaeological culture of the northwestern regions of the Iberian Peninsula from the end of the Bronze Age until it was subsumed in local Roman culture...
, an conquered by Hannibal, who rechristened it Portus Annibalis, which would be the basis of the Roman settlement Barcínia. It was later conquered by the Arabs who named it Albus beginning a process of development that lasted until the Christian fort was destroyed by the 1755 earthquake: the walls of this fortication are the only remnants of this castle that still exist.
Religious
- Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Rocha
- Church of the Divino Salvador de Alvor - constructed in the ManuelineManuelineThe Manueline, or Portuguese late Gothic, is the sumptuous, composite Portuguese style of architectural ornamentation of the first decades of the 16th century, incorporating maritime elements and representations of the discoveries brought from the voyages of Vasco da Gama and Pedro Álvares Cabral...
and RococoRococoRococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
styles, the longitudinal church is composed of three naves, with expressive principal porticos and lateral arcades. The 18th century principal façade highlight the entranceway with an interior in the Baroque style, main and collateral altars in a revivalist style with Rococo chapels.