| ÉVORA |
The ancient walled city of Évora
rises out of the vast Alentejan plain 62 km west of the Spanish
border. It was taken from the Moors in 1166 by an outlaw knight,
Gerald the Fearless, who scaled the walls at night on a ladder
of lances. Évora later became a popular residence of
Portuguese kings, but fell out of favour after Spain's annexation
of Portugal in 1580. Today, it is one of the loveliest places
to visit in the whole of Southern Europe, with several unique
attractions to explore and a fine range of good quality accommodation.
What to see. Évora's Corinthian-style Roman temple
is popularly believed to have been dedicated to the goddess
Diana. Erected in the 2nd century, it was transformed into a
fortress during the Middle Ages and even a slaughterhouse in
the 19th century. Remains of the city's 1st-century Roman walls
lie between the palaces of the Dukes of Cadaval and Counts of
Basto. The 12th-century cathedral on Largo Marquês de
Marialva sports two massive towers and 14th-century granite
Gothic cloisters. Évora's regional museum housed in a
16th-century palace displays various Roman artefacts, old Arraiolos
carpet and some charming still-life paintings by 17th-century
painter, Josefa de Óbidos. The city also boasts a an
impressive 9 km-long aqueduct built between 1531 and 1537.
Nearby. Archaeologists date the ancient stones near Évora
to between 4,000 and 2,000 BC. There are more than 130 dolmens
in the area, including the largest in Portugal at Zambujeiro.
The caves at Escoural contain paintings estimated to be 15-20,000
years old. 2 km from Évora, the Convent of São
Bento de Castris was the first Benedictine convent in Portugal
was founded in 1274, while the 16th-century monastery at Espinheiro
a little further from the city is where the painter-monk Frei
Carlos lived and worked. |
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| © 2007 Maisturismo |
