Avis (), formerly spelled Aviz, is a municipality in the District of Portalegre in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 4,571, in an area of 605.97 km². The present Mayor is Nuno Silva, elected by the Unitary Democratic Coalition. The municipal holiday is

Easter Monday Easter Monday refers to the day after Easter Sunday in either the Eastern or Western Christian traditions. It is a public holiday in some countries. It is the second day of Eastertide. In Western Christianity, it marks the second day of the Octa ...

History

The fortified city, of which parts have been preserved, was home to the

Knights of the Order of Aviz A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...

. The Order grew into the

Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal ( la, Regnum Portugalliae, pt, Reino de Portugal) was a monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also kno ...

's second dynasty, the

House of Aviz The House of Aviz (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Casa de Avis''), also known as the Joanine Dynasty (''Dinastia Joanina''), was a dynasty of Portuguese people, Portuguese origin which flourished during the Portuguese Renaissance, Renaissance ...

, and its name today subsists as one of the Portuguese Republic's highest military honors.

Gallery

File:Avis.jpg, Bridge into the town. File:Avis3.jpg, Church and convent of São Bento of Avis.

Climate

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 6 civil parishes (''

freguesias ''Freguesia'' (), usually translated as "parish" or "civil parish", is the third-level administrative subdivision of Portugal, as defined by the 1976 Constitution. It is also the designation for local government jurisdictions in the former Port ...

''): * Alcórrego e Maranhão * Aldeia Velha * Avis * Benavila e Valongo * Ervedal * Figueira e Barros

References

External links