Avis (), formerly spelled Aviz, is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the District of
Portalegre in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 4,571, in an area of 605.97 km
2.
The present Mayor is Nuno Silva, elected by the
Unitary Democratic Coalition
The Unitary Democratic Coalition ( pt, CDU – Coligação Democrática Unitária, PCP–PEV) is an electoral and political coalition between the Portuguese Communist Party ( pt, Partido Comunista Português or PCP) and the Ecologist Party "Th ...
. 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. 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: ''Casa de Avis''), also known as the Joanine Dynasty (''Dinastia Joanina''), was a dynasty of Portuguese origin which flourished during the Renaissance and the period of the Portuguese discoveries, when Portugal ...
, and its name today subsists as one of the
Portuguese Republic
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of t ...
'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
See also
*
Castelo de Avis
References
External links
Town Hall official websitePhotos from Avis3D models
Populated places in Portalegre District
Municipalities of Portalegre District
{{Portalegre-geo-stub