Casével
Encyclopedia
Casével is a Portuguese
town and civil parish within the boundaries of Castro Verde Municipality, in the Alentejo Region
, located 10 kilometres north-west of the municipal seat. It is considered the civil parish with the smallest population (365 inhabitants in 2001) in the municipality, covering an area of approximately 33.3 km² (its density is 11 inhabitants/km²).
on the 20 September 1510 and was the municipal seat until 1836, when it was incorporated into the municipality of Messejana (the seat of the former Knights of Santiago
).
Casével's only church, to the invocation of São João Baptista dates back to the 14th century, and was repaired several times, including in 1533 and again in 1940-1950 after it had been abandoned. During the course of its restoration, layers of debris were removed to reveal a gold-leaf alter, with various saints of which little is known, and golden silver ornaments, including the Reliquary
-Head of Saint Fabian and two monstrance
, dating back to the 16th Century. The Head, fabricated from the 13th Century, is a unique item: it is a sculpture in silver, containing the human skull of Pope Fabian, a Christian
martyr
. Legend has it that this relic arrived in Portugal in the possession of Princess Vataça Lascaris
, and today is (and on exhibition at the Royal Treasury in the Basilica of Castro Verde).
On 24 October 1855 it was incorporated into the municipality of Castro Verde.
It is surounded by the parishes of Ourique, Panóis and Conceição (to the west) in the municipality of Ourique; Aljustrel and Messejana (to the north) in the municipality of Aljustrel Municipality; and the parish of Castro Verde (to the east and south). In addition, the northern limit of the civil parish is marked by a rail-line that slices the northern frontier on a diagnonal trajectory (northeast to southwest) from Carregueiro (in Aljustrel) into Panois.
There are only three settlements in this parish, two of which are equidistant from the E1 motorway (Aviados and Casével) and the other (Estação de Ourique) which is a railway terminus and rural agglomeration. The remainder of the parish is divided into agricultural parcels/pastureland occaisonally broken-up by farms or derelict buildings. The largest (and parish seat) is the village of Casével, its centre located two kilometres from the E1.
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...
town and civil parish within the boundaries of Castro Verde Municipality, in the Alentejo Region
Alentejo Region
Alentejo Region is one of the NUTS 2 regions of Portugal. It covers all of the historical Alentejo Province, but the Lezíria do Tejo Subregion also covers areas of the Estremadura Province.-Subregions:* Alto Alentejo Subregion...
, located 10 kilometres north-west of the municipal seat. It is considered the civil parish with the smallest population (365 inhabitants in 2001) in the municipality, covering an area of approximately 33.3 km² (its density is 11 inhabitants/km²).
History
The town received its Charter by order of King Manuel I of PortugalManuel I of Portugal
Manuel I , the Fortunate , 14th king of Portugal and the Algarves was the son of Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu, , by his wife, Infanta Beatrice of Portugal...
on the 20 September 1510 and was the municipal seat until 1836, when it was incorporated into the municipality of Messejana (the seat of the former Knights of Santiago
Order of Santiago
The Order of Santiago was founded in the 12th century, and owes its name to the national patron of Galicia and Spain, Santiago , under whose banner the Christians of Galicia and Asturias began in the 9th century to combat and drive back the Muslims of the Iberian Peninsula.-History:Santiago de...
).
Casével's only church, to the invocation of São João Baptista dates back to the 14th century, and was repaired several times, including in 1533 and again in 1940-1950 after it had been abandoned. During the course of its restoration, layers of debris were removed to reveal a gold-leaf alter, with various saints of which little is known, and golden silver ornaments, including the Reliquary
Reliquary
A reliquary is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures...
-Head of Saint Fabian and two monstrance
Monstrance
A monstrance is the vessel used in the Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, and Anglican churches to display the consecrated Eucharistic host, during Eucharistic adoration or Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Created in the medieval period for the public display of relics, the monstrance today is...
, dating back to the 16th Century. The Head, fabricated from the 13th Century, is a unique item: it is a sculpture in silver, containing the human skull of Pope Fabian, a Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
. Legend has it that this relic arrived in Portugal in the possession of Princess Vataça Lascaris
Vataça Lascaris
Lady Vataça Lascaris , also referred as Vatatsa Lascaris, Vataça of Ventimiglia, Dona Betaça, Betaça de Grécia, Vatatsa or Vetacia was an Italian princess of Byzantine Greek origin....
, and today is (and on exhibition at the Royal Treasury in the Basilica of Castro Verde).
On 24 October 1855 it was incorporated into the municipality of Castro Verde.
Geography
Located in the northwest corner of the municipality, the parish is bisected by two motorways: the E1 Motorway (Auto-Estrada do Sul) that bisects the territory between the village of Casével and Aivados (connecting the main centre of Setúbal with Faro); and the secondary IC1 Motorway, in the western corner of the parish, that runs through the municipality of Ourique (intersecting two kilometres of Casével). There are no exits off of the E1, although secondary roads do link the IC1 to all the settlements in the parish.It is surounded by the parishes of Ourique, Panóis and Conceição (to the west) in the municipality of Ourique; Aljustrel and Messejana (to the north) in the municipality of Aljustrel Municipality; and the parish of Castro Verde (to the east and south). In addition, the northern limit of the civil parish is marked by a rail-line that slices the northern frontier on a diagnonal trajectory (northeast to southwest) from Carregueiro (in Aljustrel) into Panois.
There are only three settlements in this parish, two of which are equidistant from the E1 motorway (Aviados and Casével) and the other (Estação de Ourique) which is a railway terminus and rural agglomeration. The remainder of the parish is divided into agricultural parcels/pastureland occaisonally broken-up by farms or derelict buildings. The largest (and parish seat) is the village of Casével, its centre located two kilometres from the E1.
Economy
The principal activities in the village are related to agriculture and animal husbandry, in addition to small commercial and industrial sectors associated with milling, electricians and saw-milling.Architecture
- Church of São João Baptista - based on a 14th century chapel, the principal church of Casével was re-built in the Mannerist-MannerismMannerism is a period of European art that emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. It lasted until about 1580 in Italy, when a more Baroque style began to replace it, but Northern Mannerism continued into the early 17th century throughout much of Europe...
/BaroqueBaroqueThe Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
-style in the 16th century, with the tower being construction during the middle of the 20th century. Although a process to qualify the structure as a designated heritage site was petitioned (24 April 1985) by the municipal authority, the process was closed in on 24 January 2009, "for not having national value".
Culture
The village of Casével is home to acclaimed coral groups which have a long history of cultural importance within the municipality of Castro Verde. The Associação de Cante Alentejano: Vozes das Terras Brancas is the central body that promotes various groups of traditional canto singers, including Vozes de Casével and Antigas Mondadeiras, and its installations are open to the public (in the main square), allowing visitors to listen and appreciate the traditional ethnography and food of the parish.Notable citizens
- Alfredo Luís da CostaAlfredo Luís da CostaAlfredo Luís da Costa , was a Portuguese publicist, editor, journalist, store clerk and salesman who was part of the Portuguese Carbonária and a Mason, best remembered for being one of the two assassins credited in the assassination of King Carlos I of Portugal and the Prince Royal, Luis Filipe,...
(24 November 1883 - Lisbon; 1 February 1908), was a Portuguese publicist, salesman, a MasonFreemasonryFreemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
and member of the Portuguese CarbonáriaCarbonáriaThe Carbonária was originally an anti-clerical, revolutionary, conspiratorial society, originally established in Portugal in 1822 but soon disbanded. It was allied with the Italian Carbonari. A new organization of the same name and claiming to be its continuation was founded in 1896 by Artur...
, best remembered for being one of the two gunmen (along with Manuel BuíçaManuel BuiçaManuel dos Reis da Silva Buíça , was Portuguese schoolteacher, former cavalry Sergeant, and excellent marksman involved with Alfredo Costa in the regicide of King Carlos I of Portugal and the Prince Royal, Luis Filipe, during the events that became known as the 1908 Lisbon Regicide .-Biography:Son of...
) who assassinated King Carlos I of PortugalCarlos I of Portugal-Assassination:On 1 February 1908 the royal family returned from the palace of Vila Viçosa to Lisbon. They travelled by train to Barreiro and, from there, they took a steamer to cross the Tagus River and disembarked at Cais do Sodré in central Lisbon. On their way to the royal palace, the open...
and the Prince Royal, Luis Filipe, during the 1908 Lisbon RegicideLisbon RegicideThe Lisbon Regicide was the name given for the assassinations of King Carlos I of Portugal and his heir, Luis Filipe, the Prince Royal by assassins sympathetic to republican interests...
.
External links
- Town Hall official website- (Portuguese: Use Google Translate to convert to other languages)