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Porches (Lagoa)
Encyclopedia
Porches is a civil parish/freguesia
in the municipality/concelho
of Lagoa (Algarve)
in Portugal
, about 10 km east of the city of Lagoa. It is 15.57 km² in area, with 1,901 inhabitants (2001); its population density is 122.1 persons/km². It was elevated to the status of a town on July 12, 2001.
Age have been found in the area of the freguesia
. A menhir
, found in this area and dated to sometime between 5000 and 4000 B.C., is now in the entrance garden of the Convent of São José in Lagoa
.
According to historical sources, the actual settlement of Porches was in the middle of the 16th century, built by a group of settlers who came from an older urbanization called Porches Velho, situated within the freguesia
but closer to the coast. Porches Velho had been occupied during the Roman
period, and in 1253 it was already a sizeable town, seat of a judicial district and with a strong medieval castle.
The area of Porches is well known for its wine
, but also for its clay
pits and pottery
workshops and its current inhabitants still make pottery, continuing to keep this art alive. Pottery had been re-introduced to the area when the artists Patrick Swift
(who also designed the stations of the cross at Porches Church ) and Lima de Freitas set up Porches Pottery (Olaria Algarve)
in 1968, which still produces handpainted pottery. With the increase in tourism the prosperity of the Porches pottery industry has returned, and both traditional designs and new artistic styles are produced.
Freguesia
Freguesia is the Portuguese term for a secondary local administrative unit in Portugal and some of its former colonies, and a former secondary local administrative unit in Macau, roughly equivalent to an administrative parish. A freguesia is a subdivision of a concelho, the Portuguese synonym term...
in the municipality/concelho
Concelho
Concelho , in the Portuguese language, is the word municipality, when referring to the territory. The word município is used when municipality means the organ of State...
of Lagoa (Algarve)
Lagoa (Algarve)
Lagoa Municipality is a Portuguese municipality in Faro District, in the region known as the Algarve, with about 6,100 inhabitants.Its seat is the city of Lagoa....
in 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...
, about 10 km east of the city of Lagoa. It is 15.57 km² in area, with 1,901 inhabitants (2001); its population density is 122.1 persons/km². It was elevated to the status of a town on July 12, 2001.
History
Perched on a hill on the edge of the oldest east-west road in the Algarve is the small town of Porches. Vestiges of continuous occupation going back as far as the NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
Age have been found in the area of the freguesia
Freguesia
Freguesia is the Portuguese term for a secondary local administrative unit in Portugal and some of its former colonies, and a former secondary local administrative unit in Macau, roughly equivalent to an administrative parish. A freguesia is a subdivision of a concelho, the Portuguese synonym term...
. A menhir
Menhir
A menhir is a large upright standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones. Their size can vary considerably; but their shape is generally uneven and squared, often tapering towards the top...
, found in this area and dated to sometime between 5000 and 4000 B.C., is now in the entrance garden of the Convent of São José in Lagoa
Lagoa (Algarve)
Lagoa Municipality is a Portuguese municipality in Faro District, in the region known as the Algarve, with about 6,100 inhabitants.Its seat is the city of Lagoa....
.
According to historical sources, the actual settlement of Porches was in the middle of the 16th century, built by a group of settlers who came from an older urbanization called Porches Velho, situated within the freguesia
Freguesia
Freguesia is the Portuguese term for a secondary local administrative unit in Portugal and some of its former colonies, and a former secondary local administrative unit in Macau, roughly equivalent to an administrative parish. A freguesia is a subdivision of a concelho, the Portuguese synonym term...
but closer to the coast. Porches Velho had been occupied during the Roman
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
period, and in 1253 it was already a sizeable town, seat of a judicial district and with a strong medieval castle.
The area of Porches is well known for its wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
, but also for its clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
pits and pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
workshops and its current inhabitants still make pottery, continuing to keep this art alive. Pottery had been re-introduced to the area when the artists Patrick Swift
Patrick Swift
Patrick Swift was an artist born in Dublin, Ireland. Patrick Swift was a painter and key cultural figure in Dublin and London before moving to the Algarve in southern Portugal, where he is buried in the town of Porches...
(who also designed the stations of the cross at Porches Church ) and Lima de Freitas set up Porches Pottery (Olaria Algarve)
Porches Pottery (Olaria Algarve)
Porches Pottery is a producer of hand-painted pottery in the town of Porches, in the Algarve region of Portugal. The pottery was founded in 1968 by artists Patrick Swift and Lima de Freitas, in order to revive a traditional Algarve pottery industry that was rapidly dying out in favour of more...
in 1968, which still produces handpainted pottery. With the increase in tourism the prosperity of the Porches pottery industry has returned, and both traditional designs and new artistic styles are produced.
Heritage Sites
- Fort of Nossa Senhora da Rocha (Porches)Fort of Nossa Senhora da Rocha (Porches)The Fort of Nossa Senhora da Rocha , , also known as Porches Castle, is situated in the freguesia of Porches, in the concelho of Lagoa in Portugal...
, also known as Porches castle, and Shrine of Nossa Senhora da Rocha (Porches)Fort of Nossa Senhora da Rocha (Porches)The Fort of Nossa Senhora da Rocha , , also known as Porches Castle, is situated in the freguesia of Porches, in the concelho of Lagoa in Portugal...
. - Igreja Matriz (Porches)Igreja Matriz (Porches)The Igreja Matriz , is situated in the freguesia of Porches, in the concelho of Lagoa in Portugal.Founded in the 16th century, today the church has few vestiages of its early roots...