| BRAGANÇA |
Situated high on a plateau near Portugal’s north-eastern frontier with Spain, the ancient city of Bragança was once the seat of the Dukes of Bragança.
Capital of the Trás-os-Montes region, one of the wildest and most remote areas in Europe, it was the Celtic Brigantia and the Roman Juliobriga.
The strategic 680-metre-high hilltop was the site of a succession of forts before Fernão Mendes, brother-in-law to King Afonso Henriques, built a walled citadel there in 1130.
What to see.Within the citadel’s walls stand King Sancho I’s castle, built in 1187 with an assortment of watchtowers, dungeons and a 33-metre keep.
Nearby, the pentagonal 12th-century Domus Municipalis is the country’s only surviving example of Romanesque civic architecture, while the adjacent church of Santa Maria (18th century) features an elaborately carved portal.
Besides the citadel, Bragança has a rich array of cultural attractions to explore, most notably the Abade de Baçal Museum located on Rua Abilio Bessa. A learned scholar, Abade de Baçal (1865-1947) is valued for his exhaustive researches into the region’s history and customs, including its Jewish connections, which he published in 11 volumes. The museum’s exhibits include an unsigned 16th century painting called The Martyrdom of St Ignatius and collections of costumes and instruments of torture. Other places worth seeing include the churches of São Bento (founded in 1590) and 13th century São Vicente, where the secret wedding of Inês de Castro and King Pedro I is said to have taken place.
Nearby. Stretching between Bragança and the Spanish border, the 70,000-hectare Montesinho Natural Park is a haven for rare species of wild animals such as wolves, wild boar, otters, falcons and golden eagles. Virtually unchanged since medieval times, the reserve is dotted with little villages such as França and Montesinho, whose traditional stone houses and cobbled streets typify the region.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
| © 2007 Maisturismo |
