Cacia
Encyclopedia
Cacia is a civil parish in the municipality of Aveiro
, with a population of 7006 inhabitants (2001 Census), in an area of less than 36 km².
ns and Greeks
established themselves in the Vouga estuary, motivated by commercial interests and took advantage of the local region to produce salt. The Celt
s expanded into southern Europe (at the end of the 5th-6th century) occupying the central Meseta around Castela-a-Nova and coast of Portugal north of the Tagus until Galicia (avoiding pre-existing tribes). Roman references to the Celts of the Vouga and Mondego suggest that they were the Turduli
, and with the celts along the Guadiana River, travelled to the northern part of the peninsula and dispersed along the Atlantic coast until Galicia. In edition to salt production, the peoples of the Vouga estuary (Vacca as it was called) concentrated on fishing, salting fish and agriculture (such as the raising of pigs and cattle). There is also evidance that the locals extracted millions of tonnes of limestone and granite that were used local and other public works.
The Roman occupation of the region also brought with it the export of minerals, such as copper
and iron
, from the mines in the interior around Albergaria-a-Velha
and Sever do Vouga
. A few authors (Gaspar Barreiros, 1561; and Duart Nunes do Leão, 1610) defend that Cacia was Oppidum
Talabriga, referred to by Pliny the Elder
. Although the hypothesis was never proven, Alberto Souto (on visiting the ruins of Torre
in 1929) guaranteed that in Cacia there existed a settlement (possibly Luso-Roman) which had an important role in maritime and fluvial commerce along the margins of the Vouga. The Celto-Roman settlement was abandoned before and during the invasion of Germanic tribes (Visigoths) into the Iberian Peninsula. Survivors abandoned the region and began to settle in the pasturelands of the interior. The rising in water levels may have also had an influence on this desertification, destroying the river community and causing the collapse of the salting industry.
The Church appropriated the historical zone of the Celto-Roman settlement, erecting a stone church, while the fishermen expropriated Sarrazola (or Terra dos Salgueiros, known as the lands of the salters) to shelter their fishing community. Consequently the new settlement of Cacia was established south of the primitive colony, while smaller agglomerations began to grow in the vicinity: to the south, Quintã do Loureiro, and farther to the west of Sarrazola, the villages of Vilarinho and Póvoa (along the sea).
The appearance of local names, such as Atalaia and Alvariça, reveal the passage of Moors into the region, which left other cultural marks in the region.
Meanwhile, after the 10th century, a natural phenomenon occurred that caused the establishment of a natural beach that formed from Espinho and slowly expanded until Cabo Mondego. This pushed the western coast farther into the sea, and distancing Cacia from the sea.
, Afonso Henriques and Teresa
, donated almost half of the village of Cacia to the Monastery of Larvão on 25 August 1106.
The Padroado
of the parish was the Abbess
Larvão, who was responsible for conferring episcopal authority. However, the records from the command of the Order of Christ found that land rents from this Church during the 16th century diminished considerably. In March 1590, Commander António de Melo da Silva, master of the local lands and properties claimed two-halves of the tith, a practice that extended almost a hundred years during the Padroado of Larvão. The parochial church was dedicated to the martyr São Julião (or Gião), its church reconstructed in the late part of the last century, with limestone sculptures of the Madonna and Child, and the martyrs Saint Sebastian and Saint Catherine.
; but, the parish did not receive these land rents, because they two-thirds pertained to the Commander of the Order of Christ, and the last third to the Royal Monastery of Lorvão. The Command was obligated to reconstruct the main chapel and sacristy; pay an annual budget of 10$000 réis for upkeep; the parish priest a stipend of 260$000 réis; and the clergy, who lived at the cost of the priest, a stipend of 10$000 réis. In 1776, in addition to the priest/vicar Father José dos Santos Pires, and adjunct, Father Manuel Duarte, there lived in the parish Fathers Manuel Simões and Manuel Antunes, in minor clergy Manuel Rodrigues, Fernando Dias, Eusébio Rodrigues Teixeira and Manuel Rodrigues da Costa.
It was incorporated into the municipality of Aveiro in 1853, when the municipality of Esgueira (to which it belonged) was extinguished during the administrative reforms. At the time Esqueira included the civil parishes of Cacia, Vilarinho, Sarrazola, Quintã do Loureiro and Póvoa do Paço, and included the marine areas along the margins of the river.
The 19th century brought with it the advancement of the economic and social conditions of the families, while agriculture declined and emigration increased. As new farm estates and quintas were being constructed, the first university trained-generation returned to the community. This included Dr. Manuel Rodrigues Simões (known as the Dr. Vigairinho, the little vicar), who was, although a Miguelista
, was a personal friend of José Estêvão; Dr. João Carlos Silveira Temudo, man of letters; o Dr. Manuel Nunes da Silva, referred to as Conselheiro Nunes da Silva, who was a national representative in the Cortes, and judge in the Supreme Court; Father Manuel Marques Rodrigues, who, as President of the local Junta da Paróquia, created a controversy when he redistributed a great number of properties to a few Cacienses.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the youth of the parish (primarily those living in Lisbon) supported the Republican movement. Manuel Nunes Ferreira, who was a comrade of Elias Garcia and Trigueiros de Martel; Dr. Manuel Dias Ferreira, also a founder of the First Republic; Manuel Barreiros de Macedo; Manuel Teixeira Ramalho; João Ferreira and Dr. António Maria Marques da Costa, who were deputies in the Republican Congress of 1911, and whom was councilman in the municipal council of Lisbon, were some of the names that marked the community during this period.
In 1919, Cacia was the site of the military Traulitânia. Between 24 and 31 January 1919, the Vouga served as the line dividing monarchist and republican forces: monarchists in Angeja and republicans in Cacia. On the 27 January 1919, the monarchists tried to cross the wood bridge between them, and were repelled by the military and civic volunteers, commanded by Captain Zeferino Camossa Ferraz de Abreu. After 31 January, the republicans advanced into the north, attacking Estarreja, the last stronghold of the monarchists in the region, and on 16 February entered Porto.
, in the neighbouring municipality of Albergaria-a-Velha.
), Vulcano, Funfrap and Portucel.
Aveiro Municipality
Aveiro Municipality is located in Aveiro District, Portugal. The capital of the district and of the municipality is the city of Aveiro.-Demographics:-Parishes:* Aradas* Cacia* Eirol* Eixo* Esgueira* Glória * Nariz...
, with a population of 7006 inhabitants (2001 Census), in an area of less than 36 km².
History
There are no clear indications of the first peoples to inhabit the region; João Gaspar suggest that they could have been people from the lands of Além-Coa, who migrated into the region some 3000 years B.C. after the lakes of the Iberian plateau dried-up. Later, PhoeniciaPhoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
ns and Greeks
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
established themselves in the Vouga estuary, motivated by commercial interests and took advantage of the local region to produce salt. The 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....
s expanded into southern Europe (at the end of the 5th-6th century) occupying the central Meseta around Castela-a-Nova and coast of Portugal north of the Tagus until Galicia (avoiding pre-existing tribes). Roman references to the Celts of the Vouga and Mondego suggest that they were the Turduli
Turduli
The Turduli were an ancient Celtiberian tribe of Lusitania, akin to the Lusitanians. They lived in the south of modern Portugal, in the east of the province of Alentejo, along the Guadiana valley , and Extremadura proper...
, and with the celts along the Guadiana River, travelled to the northern part of the peninsula and dispersed along the Atlantic coast until Galicia. In edition to salt production, the peoples of the Vouga estuary (Vacca as it was called) concentrated on fishing, salting fish and agriculture (such as the raising of pigs and cattle). There is also evidance that the locals extracted millions of tonnes of limestone and granite that were used local and other public works.
The Roman occupation of the region also brought with it the export of minerals, such as copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
and iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
, from the mines in the interior around Albergaria-a-Velha
Albergaria-a-Velha
Albergaria-a-Velha Municipality is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 158.82 km² and a total population of 25230 inhabitants, and 19687 electors .-History:...
and Sever do Vouga
Sever do Vouga
Sever do Vouga is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 129.6 km² and a total population of 12,977 inhabitants, and 11,354 electors...
. A few authors (Gaspar Barreiros, 1561; and Duart Nunes do Leão, 1610) defend that Cacia was Oppidum
Oppidum
Oppidum is a Latin word meaning the main settlement in any administrative area of ancient Rome. The word is derived from the earlier Latin ob-pedum, "enclosed space," possibly from the Proto-Indo-European *pedóm-, "occupied space" or "footprint."Julius Caesar described the larger Celtic Iron Age...
Talabriga, referred to by Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
. Although the hypothesis was never proven, Alberto Souto (on visiting the ruins of Torre
Torre
Torre means tower in six Romance languages and may refer to:- Biology :* Muir-Torre syndrome, the inherited cancer syndrome...
in 1929) guaranteed that in Cacia there existed a settlement (possibly Luso-Roman) which had an important role in maritime and fluvial commerce along the margins of the Vouga. The Celto-Roman settlement was abandoned before and during the invasion of Germanic tribes (Visigoths) into the Iberian Peninsula. Survivors abandoned the region and began to settle in the pasturelands of the interior. The rising in water levels may have also had an influence on this desertification, destroying the river community and causing the collapse of the salting industry.
The Church appropriated the historical zone of the Celto-Roman settlement, erecting a stone church, while the fishermen expropriated Sarrazola (or Terra dos Salgueiros, known as the lands of the salters) to shelter their fishing community. Consequently the new settlement of Cacia was established south of the primitive colony, while smaller agglomerations began to grow in the vicinity: to the south, Quintã do Loureiro, and farther to the west of Sarrazola, the villages of Vilarinho and Póvoa (along the sea).
The appearance of local names, such as Atalaia and Alvariça, reveal the passage of Moors into the region, which left other cultural marks in the region.
Meanwhile, after the 10th century, a natural phenomenon occurred that caused the establishment of a natural beach that formed from Espinho and slowly expanded until Cabo Mondego. This pushed the western coast farther into the sea, and distancing Cacia from the sea.
Middle Ages
During the Christian ReconquistaReconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
, Afonso Henriques and Teresa
Theresa, Countess of Portugal
Theresa of Portugal was the first ruler of independent Portugal...
, donated almost half of the village of Cacia to the Monastery of Larvão on 25 August 1106.
The Padroado
Padroado
The Padroado , was an arrangement between the Holy See and the kingdom of Portugal, affirmed by a series of treaties, by which the Vatican delegated to the kings of Spain and Portugal the administration of the local Churches...
of the parish was the Abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
Larvão, who was responsible for conferring episcopal authority. However, the records from the command of the Order of Christ found that land rents from this Church during the 16th century diminished considerably. In March 1590, Commander António de Melo da Silva, master of the local lands and properties claimed two-halves of the tith, a practice that extended almost a hundred years during the Padroado of Larvão. The parochial church was dedicated to the martyr São Julião (or Gião), its church reconstructed in the late part of the last century, with limestone sculptures of the Madonna and Child, and the martyrs Saint Sebastian and Saint Catherine.
Monarchy
In 1775, the parochial tiths in Cacia, which included 458 residents, rented 900$000 réisPortuguese real
The real was the unit of currency of Portugal from around 1430 until 1911. It replaced the dinheiro at the rate of 1 real = 840 dinheiros and was itself replaced by the escudo at a rate of 1 escudo = 1000 réis...
; but, the parish did not receive these land rents, because they two-thirds pertained to the Commander of the Order of Christ, and the last third to the Royal Monastery of Lorvão. The Command was obligated to reconstruct the main chapel and sacristy; pay an annual budget of 10$000 réis for upkeep; the parish priest a stipend of 260$000 réis; and the clergy, who lived at the cost of the priest, a stipend of 10$000 réis. In 1776, in addition to the priest/vicar Father José dos Santos Pires, and adjunct, Father Manuel Duarte, there lived in the parish Fathers Manuel Simões and Manuel Antunes, in minor clergy Manuel Rodrigues, Fernando Dias, Eusébio Rodrigues Teixeira and Manuel Rodrigues da Costa.
It was incorporated into the municipality of Aveiro in 1853, when the municipality of Esgueira (to which it belonged) was extinguished during the administrative reforms. At the time Esqueira included the civil parishes of Cacia, Vilarinho, Sarrazola, Quintã do Loureiro and Póvoa do Paço, and included the marine areas along the margins of the river.
The 19th century brought with it the advancement of the economic and social conditions of the families, while agriculture declined and emigration increased. As new farm estates and quintas were being constructed, the first university trained-generation returned to the community. This included Dr. Manuel Rodrigues Simões (known as the Dr. Vigairinho, the little vicar), who was, although a Miguelista
Miguel of Portugal
Dom Miguel I, sometimes Michael , was the King of Portugal between 1828 and 1834, the seventh child and second son of King John VI and his queen, Charlotte of Spain....
, was a personal friend of José Estêvão; Dr. João Carlos Silveira Temudo, man of letters; o Dr. Manuel Nunes da Silva, referred to as Conselheiro Nunes da Silva, who was a national representative in the Cortes, and judge in the Supreme Court; Father Manuel Marques Rodrigues, who, as President of the local Junta da Paróquia, created a controversy when he redistributed a great number of properties to a few Cacienses.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the youth of the parish (primarily those living in Lisbon) supported the Republican movement. Manuel Nunes Ferreira, who was a comrade of Elias Garcia and Trigueiros de Martel; Dr. Manuel Dias Ferreira, also a founder of the First Republic; Manuel Barreiros de Macedo; Manuel Teixeira Ramalho; João Ferreira and Dr. António Maria Marques da Costa, who were deputies in the Republican Congress of 1911, and whom was councilman in the municipal council of Lisbon, were some of the names that marked the community during this period.
In 1919, Cacia was the site of the military Traulitânia. Between 24 and 31 January 1919, the Vouga served as the line dividing monarchist and republican forces: monarchists in Angeja and republicans in Cacia. On the 27 January 1919, the monarchists tried to cross the wood bridge between them, and were repelled by the military and civic volunteers, commanded by Captain Zeferino Camossa Ferraz de Abreu. After 31 January, the republicans advanced into the north, attacking Estarreja, the last stronghold of the monarchists in the region, and on 16 February entered Porto.
Geography
The parish of Cacia is situated in the north of the municipality of Aveiro, limited in the north by the Aveiro and Vourga Rivers; west by the parish of Vera Cruz; south by the civil parish of Esgueira; and east by the Vouga River, and parallel the lands of AngejaAngeja
Angeja is a civil parish in the municipality of Albergaria-a-Velha, with an area of 21.25 km² and population of 2320 inhabitants : approximately 109 inhabitants per km².-History:...
, in the neighbouring municipality of Albergaria-a-Velha.
Economy
Today, the region of Cacia is an important industrial area in the country, home to C.A. C.I.A. (ex-RenaultRenault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
), Vulcano, Funfrap and Portucel.