Assafarge is a former

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the southern part of the municipality of

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto Metropolitan Area, Porto, and Bra ...

, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish

Assafarge e Antanhol Assafarge e Antanhol is a civil parish in the municipality of Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban ...

. It has a population of 2268 inhabitants (2001 Census) and occupies an area of .

History

The earliest histories of this region include the discovery of a polished stone implement, although there are no records prior to Roman intersession in the territory. The unearthing, between the localities of Carvalhais de Cima and Carvalhais de Baixo, of several irregular cavities allude to Moorish influence in the zone. It is also likely that local peoples may have dugout these holes in order to discover the ''treasure of the Moors'', which they assumed was buried in the spaces. The local

toponymy Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

had its base in these early Arab settlers; the name, sometimes written as ''Açafarge'', ''Açafargel'', ''Safarge'', ''Assafarja'', ''Azofargelas'', ''Azofarge'', ''Asafarge'', ''Assofragea'' or ''Alçoforge'', may have originated from the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

''Açafargel'' (plural ''Açafarge''), which refers to the

pome In botany, a pome is a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the subtribe Malinae of the family Rosaceae. Well-known pomes include the apple, pear, and quince. Etymology The word ''pome'' entered English in the late 14th century, and re ...

fruit

quince The quince (; ''Cydonia oblonga'') is the sole member of the genus ''Cydonia'' in the Malinae subtribe (which also contains apples and pears, among other fruits) of the Rosaceae family (biology), family. It is a deciduous tree that bears hard ...

. Evidence from historical documents suggest that the parish was founded around the 12th century (although no definitive record exists), and originated from its de-annexation (in 1120) from the neighbouring parish of

Castelo Viegas Castelo Viegas is a former Freguesia, civil parish in the municipality of Coimbra, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 1,695, in an area of 7.11 km2. On 28 January 2013 it merged with Santa Clara, Coimbra, Santa Clara to form Santa Clara e Cas ...

Geography

The civil parish is located along the southern border of the municipality of

, with the municipality of

Condeixa-a-Nova Condeixa-a-Nova (), also known as just Condeixa, is a town and a municipality in the district of Coimbra, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 17,078, in an area of 138.67 km². It is located 15 km south of Coimbra, and is part of the Re ...

(civil parish of Bem da Fé and

Vila Seca Vila Seca may refer to: Places Portugal * Vila Seca (Armamar), a civil parish in the municipality of Armamar * Vila Seca (Barcelos), a parish in the municipality of Barcelos * Vila Seca (Condeixa-a-Nova), a civil parish in the municipality of Cond ...

). Its municipal neighbours include the parishes of Almalaguês (to the southeast),

(to the northeast), Santa Clara (in the north), Antanhol (in the northwest), and Cernache (in the southwest). Situated on a hilltop plateau overlooking the

Mondego River The Rio Mondego () or Mondego River is the longest river entirely within Portuguese territory. It has its source in Serra da Estrela, the highest mountain range in mainland Portugal (i.e. excluding the Portuguese islands). It runs from the Go ...

, the region is marked by limestone hills covered in pine forests, dispersed by vineyards. By the end of the 20th century, the growth of the parish originated in its proximity to Coimbra; the resident population in 1981 was 1,714, grew slightly to 1,886 (in 1991), reaching approximately 2,200 inhabitants by 1998.

Architecture

* Chapel of Abrunheira ( pt, Capela de Abrunheira) * Chapel of Carvalhais de Baixo ( pt, Capela de Carvalhais de Baixo) * Chapel of Santo Amaro ( pt, Capela de Santo Amaro) * Chapel of Palheira ( pt, Capelinha da Palheira) * Chapel of Vale de Cantaro ( pt, Capela de Vale de Cantaro) * Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição ( pt, Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição) * Church of Palheira ( pt, Igreja de Palheira) * Cross of Abrunheira ( pt, Cruzeiro de Abrunheira) * Cross of Assafarge ( pt, Cruzeiro de Assafarge)

References

{{authority control Former parishes of Coimbra