| CAMPO
MAIOR |
Situated close to the Spanish border, 18 km north of Elvas in
the Alentejo, the pretty fortress town of Campo Maior withstood
countless sieges over the centuries, particularly after the
restoration of Portuguese independence in 1640.
Set amid cork plantations, olive groves and sunflower fields,
the town suffered a major disaster in 1732 when a gunpowder
magazine exploded after being struck by lightening, killing
1,500 people and destroying 823 houses.
What to see. Campo Maior's chief attraction is its Capela
dos Ossos, a smaller version of the Chapel of Bones in Évora.
Built in 1766, its walls and vaults are completely covered in
human bones, with two complete skeletons hanging from the walls.
Three rows of skulls are positioned on the window ledge as if
to inspect the people passing by. Nearby, the 18th-century church
of St John the Baptist contains good marble work.
Nearby. The walled town of Elvas, 10 km south of Campo
Maior, features an ancient castle, a 500-year-old aqueduct and
some of the best-preserved military fortifications in Southern
Europe. Alegrete to the north-west preserves the ruins of an
early 14th-century castle on the site of an earlier fortress. |
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| © 2007 Maisturismo |
