Sacavém
Encyclopedia
Sacavém is a Portuguese
civil parish (freguesia
), in the municipality of Loures, just a few kilometers northeast of the Portuguese capital, Lisbon
. The parish covers an area of 4.09 km² (1.6 sq mi), with a population of 17,659 inhabitants (2001 Census). The region is known for its famous ceramic
s industry.
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Due to its strategic location, at the intersection of roads from the north and the east to Lisbon, Sacavém was important during several periods of Portuguese History
, with evidence extending back pre-history. The Portuguese historian Pinho Leal wrote, in his chorography
Portugal Antigo & Moderno (Ancient & Modern Portugal), that "Sacavém is incontestably a very old settlement, and already existed in the time of the Romans
". The oldest known references date back to the Neolithic
and Chalcolithic: three polished stone axe
s were discovered from the Bronze Age, and in the mid-1980s, excavations in the historical centre of the city revealed a cave with some artifacts from the period.
By the first century, Sacavém is already crossed by two major roads
that connected into the interior of the Iberian Peninsula
:
(Remnants of these two Roman viæ still exist under the modern roads Rua do António Ricardo Rodrigues and Rua do José Luís de Morais (the two main streets of the town in the Middle Ages
, connecting Upper and Lower Sacavém). Even during this period Sacavém was an important river-crossing; the Romans built a bridge that remained active until the 17th century (according to several sources, such as Francisco de Holanda
or Miguel Leitão de Andrade).
This bridge was a natural continuation of the roads and connected Sacavém with the northern river bank; therefore indirectly included in the famous Antonine Itinerary
. The parish's coat-of-arms includes the symbolic depiction of the Roman bridge. Also in the vicinity, an epigraphic inscription is said to have existed in Sacavém (nowadays unknown, but referred to in the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum
). Various epigraphs
have suggested that this totem was sued to identify the Roman magisterial administration of the rural locality.
The Roman colony that might have existed along the bridge was eventually succeeded by barbarians from south-eastern peninsula. The Alans
were the first to re-occupy these lands (but left few remnants), and later the Visigoths, who constructed a chapel dedicated to Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres (on the sight of the medieval era Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Vitória (Our Lady of Victory).
occupied the Iberian peninsula; Lisbon is taken in 716 by Berber
s under the command of Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa
(who received the governorship of Al-Andalus
, in the name of the Umayyad Caliphate of Damascus), who also captured the region of Sacavém. Much like other areas of the Al-Garb Al-Andalus (much of ancient Roman Lusitania
), the peoples under Moorish dominion became bi-lingual, while maintaining their Christian faith (not converting until much later). In Sacavém the community that circled the Church of Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres maintained their faith and culture (under the bishop of Lisbon), something that was possible due to the religious tolerance of the invaders to the Ahl al-Kitāb (or People of the Book
). It is likely that the medieval tower in Sacavém de Cima, in the Largo do Terreirinho, fronting the Chapel of Senhora da Saúde (in the historic centre of the settlement) originated during this Muslim period, when the local Christians were required to pay jizya
.
The modern name Sacavém might have come from the Arabic language
; for many years experts believed that it came from the word šagabi (next or in the neighbourhood – in this case, of Lisbon, an important city even during Moorish period) latin
ised to sacabis, -is, becoming sacabem in the accusative case
, and hence, by phonetic modifications during the centuries, Sacavém. Recent investigations, from Arabic sources (namely Yaqut's Kitab
Mu'jam Al-Buldan
), indicate that the Muslims used the word Šaqabān , incredibly similar to the modern Portuguese pronunciation.
During Al-Andalus, Sacavém was considered a qarya (one of the settlements of al-Ušbuna), but it was administratively integrated into the larger settlement (geographically limited by the Roman conventus), which was governed by the military governor in Cordova
, later by the emir
s (756–929) and caliph
s (929–1031) that governed Al-Andalus. Various seditions against the Umayyad Caliphate rose-up in the emirs and caliphates of Al-Garb Al-Andalus; the revolts of Ibn Marwan
of Mérida
/Badajoz
or Umār ibn Hafsūn of Bobastro corresponds to a period of weak central government, when the Al Garb was a nominal extension of the Caliphate, an autonmous principality with its seat in Batalyaws (Badajoz
).
It was in the period of turmoil preceding the fall of the Caliphates (in 1031) that Sacavém was integrated into the Kingdom of Badajoz (except for a decade around 1020 when it was a part of al-Ušbuna, under ʿAbd al-ʿAziz ibn Sabūr and ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Sabūr (sons of Sabūr al-Saqlabi, a Slavic serf
who sparked a revolt in against Caliph Al-Hakam II
). This would last until the Aftasids conquered the region. In 1093, in a trade for aid against the Almoravids (from the Maghreb
), the emir of Badajoz ceded to the imperator totius Hispaniæ Alfonso VI of León and Castile the castles of al-Ušbuna and aš-Šantaryin (Santarém
), along with the territory of Sacavém. But the regions return to Christianity lasted for a short time; in 1095, with the advance of the Almoravid forces, lead by Yusuf ibn Tashfin
, Count Raymond of Galicia
was defeated in battle, resulting in the Arab-Christian frontier advancing from the Tagus River to the Mondego. By 1144, the Al-Garb lead by Ibn Qasi revolted against the Almoravids. Although the Almoravids were dominant in the first few years, they were in decline when Afonso Henriques definitively captured Lisbon (al-Ušbuna) in October 1147.
of the Trancão that the mythical battle of Sacavém river took place, between King Afonso I of Portugal
and the Moors, in October 1147. The tradition (fixed probably in the 16th century) says that the Moorish people had gathered around 5,000 men from all Estremadura
(Alenquer
, Óbidos, Tomar
, Torres Novas
and Torres Vedras
) to fight against only 1500 Christians, but the latter defeated the Muslims in a large blood bath, with this wondrous victory personally attributed to the intervention of the Holy Virgin, which brought many Christians speaking strange languages (this is, the crusades
that took Lisbon
that same year).
The legend says also that the Moorish leader Bezai Zaide had even converted to Christianity
and became the first priest at the chapel of Our Lady of Martyrs that Afonso Henriques ordered to be built just a few days after the clash. On the other hand, the first Portuguese monarch had also ordered the rebuilding of the old Visigoth chapel of Our Lady of Pleasures, ruined during the Moorish rule (although Christian faith in Al-Andaluz was allowed by the emirs against the payment of a tribute). This church was dedicated to Our Lady of Victory, and became the seat of the ecclesiastical parish.
However, the first documented mention of Sacavém is in 1191 (forty-four years after the conquest), in a paper signed by King Sancho I of Portugal
.
Pinho Leal reported that in the 12th century Sacavém was a parish with 900 houses, but this number is, however, regarded today as too high for that time. During the 13th century, it seems that in Sacavém existed an important Jewish community, living in a ghetto
outside the parish.
In 1288, the priest
of Sacavém was one of the signatories of a letter requesting that the Pope Nicholas IV
install a university
in Lisbon
.
At the end of the 14th century King Ferdinand I of Portugal
donated Sacavém to his wife Leonor Telles de Menezes
. Although the place belonged at that time thus to the sphere of influence of the queen-consort, it supported the later king John I of Portugal
in his struggle for power. Therefore, after his triumph in 1385, Sacavém was administratively included in Lisbon
, but donated to the major supporter of the new king, Nuno Álvares Pereira
. Later, by the wedding of his daughter to the first Duke of Braganza
, Sacavém became a property of the powerful House of Braganza
.
São João da Talha, until then known as Sacavém Extra-Muros (Sacavém outside the walls) became an independent parish, split from Sacavém in 1387.
In the Late Middle Ages
, several chronicles (such as those of Duarte Nunes de Leão and Rui de Pina
) mentioned Sacavém. These two chroniclers stated that the royal family, before the conquest of Ceuta
in 1415, fled to Sacavém, in order to escapes from the plague
that arose in Lisbon
. There the queen-consort Philippa of Lancaster
died of the plague, her body was carried to Batalha
where her remains were buried. However, another chronicler, Gomes Eanes de Zurara reports that the royal family fled to Odivelas
(and therefore not to Sacavém), and that the queen died there.
municipality, bordering the parishes of Unhos (northwest), Camarate
(west), Prior Velho
(southwest), Portela
(south) as well as Moscavide(southeast). To the east lies the river
Tagus
, and to north the Trancão (formerly known as Sacavém River), separating Sacavém from the Bobadela
parish. The ribeira do Prior Velho also flows through the city crossing it in underground channels.
The parish's terrain is relatively flat. The bank of the Tagus is approximately at sea-level, while the border of Sacavém with the parishes of Camarate
and Unhos is 60 metres (197 ft) above the sea. However, there are several hills such as monte Cintra and monte do Convento (both reaching about 30 m (98 ft) in height).
Traditionally, Sacavém has been divided in two halves:
In the last few decades, besides these two urban areas, new urban borough
s have emerged, such as Courela do Foguete, Fonte Perra, Olival Covo, Quinta do Património, Real Forte as well asTerraços da Ponte (the latter one replacing the old and degraded Quinta do Mocho, which housed, in poor conditions, over the past three decades, foreign Africa
n citizens, many of them natives of the former Portuguese colonies
, that returned to Mainland Portugal after the Carnation Revolution
in 1974).
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...
civil parish (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...
), in the municipality of Loures, just a few kilometers northeast of the Portuguese capital, Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
. The parish covers an area of 4.09 km² (1.6 sq mi), with a population of 17,659 inhabitants (2001 Census). The region is known for its famous ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
s industry.
History
History of Portugal
The history of Portugal, a European and an Atlantic nation, dates back to the Early Middle Ages. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it ascended to the status of a world power during Europe's "Age of Discovery" as it built up a vast empire including possessions in South America, Africa, Asia and...
, with evidence extending back pre-history. The Portuguese historian Pinho Leal wrote, in his chorography
Chorography
Chorography is a term deriving from the writings of the ancient geographer Ptolemy, meaning the geographical description of regions...
Portugal Antigo & Moderno (Ancient & Modern Portugal), that "Sacavém is incontestably a very old settlement, and already existed in the time of the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
". The oldest known references date back to the Neolithic
Neolithic
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...
and Chalcolithic: three polished stone axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
s were discovered from the Bronze Age, and in the mid-1980s, excavations in the historical centre of the city revealed a cave with some artifacts from the period.
By the first century, Sacavém is already crossed by two major roads
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
that connected into the interior of the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
:
- via XV, connecting Olissipona (LisbonLisbonLisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
) to Emerita Augusta (MéridaMérida, SpainMérida is the capital of the autonomous community of Extremadura, western central Spain. It has a population of 57,127 . The Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993.- Climate :...
) (by way of the important administrative centre of Scalabicastrum, today SantarémSantarém, PortugalSantarém is a city in the Santarém Municipality in Portugal. The city itself has a population of 28,760 and the entire municipality has 64,124 inhabitants.It is the capital of Santarém District....
); and - via XVI, connecting Olissipona to Bracara Augusta (BragaBragaBraga , a city in the Braga Municipality in northwestern Portugal, is the capital of the Braga District, the oldest archdiocese and the third major city of the country. Braga is the oldest Portuguese city and one of the oldest Christian cities in the World...
), capital of the Conventus bracarensis in the province of GallaeciaGallaeciaGallaecia or Callaecia, also known as Hispania Gallaecia, was the name of a Roman province and an early Mediaeval kingdom that comprised a territory in the north-west of Hispania...
).
(Remnants of these two Roman viæ still exist under the modern roads Rua do António Ricardo Rodrigues and Rua do José Luís de Morais (the two main streets of the town in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, connecting Upper and Lower Sacavém). Even during this period Sacavém was an important river-crossing; the Romans built a bridge that remained active until the 17th century (according to several sources, such as Francisco de Holanda
Francisco de Holanda
Francisco de Holanda , was a Portuguese humanist and painter. Considered to be one of the most important figures of the Portuguese Renaissance, he was also an essayist, architect, and historian...
or Miguel Leitão de Andrade).
This bridge was a natural continuation of the roads and connected Sacavém with the northern river bank; therefore indirectly included in the famous Antonine Itinerary
Antonine Itinerary
The Antonine Itinerary is a register of the stations and distances along the various roads of the Roman empire, containing directions how to get from one Roman settlement to another...
. The parish's coat-of-arms includes the symbolic depiction of the Roman bridge. Also in the vicinity, an epigraphic inscription is said to have existed in Sacavém (nowadays unknown, but referred to in the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum
Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum
The Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum is a comprehensive collection of ancient Latin inscriptions. It forms an authoritative source for documenting the surviving epigraphy of classical antiquity. Public and personal inscriptions throw light on all aspects of Roman life and history...
). Various epigraphs
Epigraphy
Epigraphy Epigraphy Epigraphy (from the , literally "on-writing", is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing; that is, the science of identifying the graphemes and of classifying their use as to cultural context and date, elucidating their meaning and assessing what conclusions can be...
have suggested that this totem was sued to identify the Roman magisterial administration of the rural locality.
The Roman colony that might have existed along the bridge was eventually succeeded by barbarians from south-eastern peninsula. The Alans
Alans
The Alans, or the Alani, occasionally termed Alauni or Halani, were a group of Sarmatian tribes, nomadic pastoralists of the 1st millennium AD who spoke an Eastern Iranian language which derived from Scytho-Sarmatian and which in turn evolved into modern Ossetian.-Name:The various forms of Alan —...
were the first to re-occupy these lands (but left few remnants), and later the Visigoths, who constructed a chapel dedicated to Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres (on the sight of the medieval era Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Vitória (Our Lady of Victory).
Moorish rule
After 711, the MoorsMoors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
occupied the Iberian peninsula; Lisbon is taken in 716 by Berber
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
s under the command of Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa
Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa
Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa ibn Nusayr was the first governor of Al-Andalus, in modern-day Spain and Portugal. He was the son of Musa ibn Nusayr, the governor of Ifriqiya...
(who received the governorship of Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
, in the name of the Umayyad Caliphate of Damascus), who also captured the region of Sacavém. Much like other areas of the Al-Garb Al-Andalus (much of ancient Roman Lusitania
Lusitania
Lusitania or Hispania Lusitania was an ancient Roman province including approximately all of modern Portugal south of the Douro river and part of modern Spain . It was named after the Lusitani or Lusitanian people...
), the peoples under Moorish dominion became bi-lingual, while maintaining their Christian faith (not converting until much later). In Sacavém the community that circled the Church of Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres maintained their faith and culture (under the bishop of Lisbon), something that was possible due to the religious tolerance of the invaders to the Ahl al-Kitāb (or People of the Book
People of the Book
People of the Book is a term used to designate non-Muslim adherents to faiths which have a revealed scripture called, in Arabic, Al-Kitab . The three types of adherents to faiths that the Qur'an mentions as people of the book are the Jews, Sabians and Christians.In Islam, the Muslim scripture, the...
). It is likely that the medieval tower in Sacavém de Cima, in the Largo do Terreirinho, fronting the Chapel of Senhora da Saúde (in the historic centre of the settlement) originated during this Muslim period, when the local Christians were required to pay jizya
Jizya
Under Islamic law, jizya or jizyah is a per capita tax levied on a section of an Islamic state's non-Muslim citizens, who meet certain criteria...
.
The modern name Sacavém might have come from the Arabic language
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
; for many years experts believed that it came from the word šagabi (next or in the neighbourhood – in this case, of Lisbon, an important city even during Moorish period) latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
ised to sacabis, -is, becoming sacabem in the accusative case
Accusative case
The accusative case of a noun is the grammatical case used to mark the direct object of a transitive verb. The same case is used in many languages for the objects of prepositions...
, and hence, by phonetic modifications during the centuries, Sacavém. Recent investigations, from Arabic sources (namely Yaqut's Kitab
Kitab
Kitab-Verlag is a publishing house in Klagenfurt, Austria. It primarily focuses on books about the history of the culture of the near east and on modern literature from Austria, Slovenia, and Italy...
Mu'jam Al-Buldan
Mu'jam Al-Buldan
Mu'jam al-buldan is a book by Yaqut al-Hamawi, a Muslim scholar who is famous for his encyclopedic books.Al-Hamawi started the book in 1224 and finished in 1228, one year before he died....
), indicate that the Muslims used the word Šaqabān , incredibly similar to the modern Portuguese pronunciation.
During Al-Andalus, Sacavém was considered a qarya (one of the settlements of al-Ušbuna), but it was administratively integrated into the larger settlement (geographically limited by the Roman conventus), which was governed by the military governor in Cordova
Cordova
-Places:*Cordova, Alabama, USA*Cordova, Alaska, USA*Cordova, Cebu, Philippines*Cordova, Illinois, USA*Cordova, Maryland, USA*Cordova, Nebraska, USA*Cordova, New Mexico, USA*Cordova, South Carolina, USA*Cordova, Tennessee, USA*Córdoba, Argentina...
, later by the emir
Emir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
s (756–929) and caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
s (929–1031) that governed Al-Andalus. Various seditions against the Umayyad Caliphate rose-up in the emirs and caliphates of Al-Garb Al-Andalus; the revolts of Ibn Marwan
Ibn Marwan
Ibn Marwân , was a Muladi Sufi whose family had come from northern Portugal and settled near Mérida....
of Mérida
Merida
Places of the world named Mérida or Merida include:*Mérida, Spain, capital city of the Spanish Community of Extremadura*Mérida, Yucatán, capital city of the Mexican state of Yucatán*Merida, Leyte, a municipality in Leyte province in the Philippines...
/Badajoz
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257....
or Umār ibn Hafsūn of Bobastro corresponds to a period of weak central government, when the Al Garb was a nominal extension of the Caliphate, an autonmous principality with its seat in Batalyaws (Badajoz
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257....
).
It was in the period of turmoil preceding the fall of the Caliphates (in 1031) that Sacavém was integrated into the Kingdom of Badajoz (except for a decade around 1020 when it was a part of al-Ušbuna, under ʿAbd al-ʿAziz ibn Sabūr and ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Sabūr (sons of Sabūr al-Saqlabi, a Slavic serf
SERF
A spin exchange relaxation-free magnetometer is a type of magnetometer developed at Princeton University in the early 2000s. SERF magnetometers measure magnetic fields by using lasers to detect the interaction between alkali metal atoms in a vapor and the magnetic field.The name for the technique...
who sparked a revolt in against Caliph Al-Hakam II
Al-Hakam II
Al-Hakam II was the second Caliph of Cordoba, in Al-Andalus , and son of Abd-ar-rahman III . He ruled from 961 to 976....
). This would last until the Aftasids conquered the region. In 1093, in a trade for aid against the Almoravids (from the Maghreb
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
), the emir of Badajoz ceded to the imperator totius Hispaniæ Alfonso VI of León and Castile the castles of al-Ušbuna and aš-Šantaryin (Santarém
Santarém
-In Portugal:* Santarém District, a district in Portugal* Santarém Municipality, a municipality in that district* Santarém, Portugal the seat of the above district* Roman Catholic Diocese of Santarém, Portugal-Other:* Santarém cheese, a Portuguese goat cheese...
), along with the territory of Sacavém. But the regions return to Christianity lasted for a short time; in 1095, with the advance of the Almoravid forces, lead by Yusuf ibn Tashfin
Yusuf ibn Tashfin
Yusef ibn Tashfin also, Tashafin, or Teshufin; or Yusuf; was a king of the Almoravid empire, he founded the city of Marrakech and led the Muslim forces in the Battle of Zallaqa....
, Count Raymond of Galicia
Raymond of Burgundy
Raymond of Burgundy was the fourth son of William I, Count of Burgundy, and was Count of Amous. He came to the Iberian Peninsula for the first time during the period 1086–1087 with Odo I, Duke of Burgundy...
was defeated in battle, resulting in the Arab-Christian frontier advancing from the Tagus River to the Mondego. By 1144, the Al-Garb lead by Ibn Qasi revolted against the Almoravids. Although the Almoravids were dominant in the first few years, they were in decline when Afonso Henriques definitively captured Lisbon (al-Ušbuna) in October 1147.
Middle Ages
According to an old legend, it was near the bankBank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
of the Trancão that the mythical battle of Sacavém river took place, between King Afonso I of Portugal
Afonso I of Portugal
Afonso I or Dom Afonso Henriques , more commonly known as Afonso Henriques , nicknamed "the Conqueror" , "the Founder" or "the Great" by the Portuguese, and El-Bortukali and Ibn-Arrik by the Moors whom he fought, was the first King of Portugal...
and the Moors, in October 1147. The tradition (fixed probably in the 16th century) says that the Moorish people had gathered around 5,000 men from all Estremadura
Estremadura Province (historical)
Estremadura Province is one of the six historical provinces of Portugal....
(Alenquer
Alenquer
Alenquer is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 304.2 km² and a total population of 42,932 inhabitants. The municipality is composed of 16 parishes, and is located in the District of Lisbon....
, Óbidos, Tomar
Tomar
Tomar Municipality has a total area of 351.0 km² and a total population of 43,007 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 16 parishes, and is located in Santarém District...
, Torres Novas
Torres Novas
Torres Novas is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 270.0 km² and a total population of 37,155 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 17 parishes, and is located in the district of Santarém. The city of Torres Novas has about 15,000 inhabitants. This city has a castle...
and Torres Vedras
Torres Vedras
Torres Vedras is a city and a municipality in the district of Lisbon, Portugal, about 50 km north of Lisbon. It belongs to the Oeste subregion and the Centro region.The municipality covers an area of 405.89 km² distributed over 20 freguesias...
) to fight against only 1500 Christians, but the latter defeated the Muslims in a large blood bath, with this wondrous victory personally attributed to the intervention of the Holy Virgin, which brought many Christians speaking strange languages (this is, the crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
that took Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
that same year).
The legend says also that the Moorish leader Bezai Zaide had even converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and became the first priest at the chapel of Our Lady of Martyrs that Afonso Henriques ordered to be built just a few days after the clash. On the other hand, the first Portuguese monarch had also ordered the rebuilding of the old Visigoth chapel of Our Lady of Pleasures, ruined during the Moorish rule (although Christian faith in Al-Andaluz was allowed by the emirs against the payment of a tribute). This church was dedicated to Our Lady of Victory, and became the seat of the ecclesiastical parish.
However, the first documented mention of Sacavém is in 1191 (forty-four years after the conquest), in a paper signed by King Sancho I of Portugal
Sancho 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...
.
Pinho Leal reported that in the 12th century Sacavém was a parish with 900 houses, but this number is, however, regarded today as too high for that time. During the 13th century, it seems that in Sacavém existed an important Jewish community, living in a ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
outside the parish.
In 1288, the priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
of Sacavém was one of the signatories of a letter requesting that the Pope Nicholas IV
Pope Nicholas IV
Pope Nicholas IV , born Girolamo Masci, was Pope from February 22, 1288 to April 4, 1292. A Franciscan friar, he had been legate to the Greeks under Pope Gregory X in 1272, succeeded Bonaventure as Minister General of his religious order in 1274, was made Cardinal Priest of Santa Prassede and...
install a university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
.
At the end of the 14th century King Ferdinand I of Portugal
Ferdinand I of Portugal
Ferdinand I , sometimes referred to as the Handsome or rarely as the Inconstant , was the ninth King of Portugal and the Algarve, the second son of Peter I and his wife, Constance of Castile...
donated Sacavém to his wife Leonor Telles de Menezes
Leonor Telles de Menezes
Leonor Telles de Menezes was a queen consort of Portugal and regent during the years 1383–1385. She was the wife of a Portuguese nobleman from whom she was forcibly divorced by King Ferdinand I, who afterward married her...
. Although the place belonged at that time thus to the sphere of influence of the queen-consort, it supported the later king John I of Portugal
John I of Portugal
John I KG , called the Good or of Happy Memory, more rarely and outside Portugal the Bastard, was the tenth King of Portugal and the Algarve and the first to use the title Lord of Ceuta...
in his struggle for power. Therefore, after his triumph in 1385, Sacavém was administratively included in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, but donated to the major supporter of the new king, Nuno Álvares Pereira
Nuno Álvares Pereira
Dom Nuno Álvares Pereira, O. Carm. , also spelled Nun'Álvares Pereira, was a Portuguese general of great success who had a decisive role in the 1383-1385 Crisis that assured Portugal's independence from Castile...
. Later, by the wedding of his daughter to the first Duke of Braganza
Duke of Braganza
The title Duke of Braganza in the House of Braganza is one of the most important titles in the peerage of Portugal. Since the House of Braganza acceded to the throne of Portugal in 1640, the male heir of the Portuguese Crown was known as the Duke of Braganza and Prince of Brazil until 1822, or...
, Sacavém became a property of the powerful House of Braganza
Duke of Braganza
The title Duke of Braganza in the House of Braganza is one of the most important titles in the peerage of Portugal. Since the House of Braganza acceded to the throne of Portugal in 1640, the male heir of the Portuguese Crown was known as the Duke of Braganza and Prince of Brazil until 1822, or...
.
São João da Talha, until then known as Sacavém Extra-Muros (Sacavém outside the walls) became an independent parish, split from Sacavém in 1387.
In the Late Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
, several chronicles (such as those of Duarte Nunes de Leão and Rui de Pina
Rui de Pina
-Biography:Rui de Pina was a native of Guarda. He acted as secretary of the embassy sent by King John II of Portugal to Castile in the spring of 1482, and in the following September returned there as sole envoy. He was present at the execution of Fernando II, Duke of Braganza at Évora in 1483,...
) mentioned Sacavém. These two chroniclers stated that the royal family, before the conquest of Ceuta
Ceuta
Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain and an exclave located on the north coast of North Africa surrounded by Morocco. Separated from the Iberian peninsula by the Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta lies on the border of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta along with the other Spanish...
in 1415, fled to Sacavém, in order to escapes from the plague
Pandemic
A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic...
that arose in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
. There the queen-consort Philippa of Lancaster
Philippa of Lancaster
Philippa of Lancaster, LG was a Queen consort of Portugal. Born into the royal family of England, her marriage with King John I secured the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance and produced several famous children who became known as the "Illustrious Generation" in Portugal...
died of the plague, her body was carried to Batalha
Batalha
Batalha is a town located in the Batalha Municipality in Leiria District, Pinhal Litoral Subregion, Centro Region, with 7,500 inhabitants.It is the seat of the municipality of the same name with 103.56 km² of area and 15,002 inhabitants , subdivided into 4 parishes Batalha is a town...
where her remains were buried. However, another chronicler, Gomes Eanes de Zurara reports that the royal family fled to Odivelas
Odivelas
Odivelas is a civil parish in Odivelas Municipality in Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Portugal.. The city has a population of 50,846. The municipality is composed of 7 parishes, and is located in the District of Lisbon....
(and therefore not to Sacavém), and that the queen died there.
Geography
Sacavém is located in the eastern part of LouresLoures
Loures Municipality is a municipality to the north of Lisbon. Created on 26 July 1886 by a royal decree, the municipality currently occupies an area of 169 km² and has about 200,000 inhabitants . It borders the municipalities of Odivelas, Sintra, Mafra, Arruda dos Vinhos, Vila Franca de Xira...
municipality, bordering the parishes of Unhos (northwest), Camarate
Camarate
Camarate is a civil parish in the municipality Loures, district of Lisbon, Portugal. With a population of 23,000 inhabitants in 2001, the parish of Camarate extends into an area of 5.52 km².-History:...
(west), Prior Velho
Prior Velho
Prior Velho is a parish in the municipality of Loures, District of Lisbon , Portugal....
(southwest), Portela
Portela (Loures)
Portela is a Portuguese civil parish in the municipality of Loures, in the district of Lisbon .-History:In toponymic terms, Portela gets its name from two Portuguese definitions: portela is derived from a corruption of the Latin portulla or portella, which means small door or entryway, since it...
(south) as well as Moscavide(southeast). To the east lies the river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
Tagus
Tagus
The Tagus is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula. It is long, in Spain, along the border between Portugal and Spain and in Portugal, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Lisbon. It drains an area of . The Tagus is highly utilized for most of its course...
, and to north the Trancão (formerly known as Sacavém River), separating Sacavém from the Bobadela
Bobadela
Bobadela is a civil parish in the northern municipality of Botica, with a population of less than 487 inhabitants, occupying an area of 14.7 km² in the northeast that extends into the Serra do Leiranco.-History:...
parish. The ribeira do Prior Velho also flows through the city crossing it in underground channels.
The parish's terrain is relatively flat. The bank of the Tagus is approximately at sea-level, while the border of Sacavém with the parishes of Camarate
Camarate
Camarate is a civil parish in the municipality Loures, district of Lisbon, Portugal. With a population of 23,000 inhabitants in 2001, the parish of Camarate extends into an area of 5.52 km².-History:...
and Unhos is 60 metres (197 ft) above the sea. However, there are several hills such as monte Cintra and monte do Convento (both reaching about 30 m (98 ft) in height).
Traditionally, Sacavém has been divided in two halves:
- Sacavém de Cima (Upper Sacavém), comprising the historical center of the town, around the Capela de Nossa Senhora da Saúde e de Santo André (chapel of Our Lady of Health and Saint AndrewSaint AndrewSaint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
); - Sacavém de Baixo (Lower Sacavém), near the bank of the Trancão river, where the Parish Church and the old monasteryMonasteryMonastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of the Order of Poor LadiesOrder of Poor LadiesThe Poor Clares also known as the Order of Saint Clare, the Order of Poor Ladies, the Poor Clare Sisters, the Clarisse, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Congregation, and the Second Order of St. Francis, , comprise several orders of nuns in the Catholic Church...
are situated.
In the last few decades, besides these two urban areas, new urban borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
s have emerged, such as Courela do Foguete, Fonte Perra, Olival Covo, Quinta do Património, Real Forte as well asTerraços da Ponte (the latter one replacing the old and degraded Quinta do Mocho, which housed, in poor conditions, over the past three decades, foreign Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n citizens, many of them natives of the former Portuguese colonies
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
, that returned to Mainland Portugal after the Carnation Revolution
Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution , also referred to as the 25 de Abril , was a military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance...
in 1974).