Belver is a

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

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

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 ...

of Gavião, district of Portalegre. The population in 2011 was 684,Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE)
Census 2011 results according to the 2013 administrative division of Portugal in an area of 69.84 km². It is situated along the northern bank of the

Tagus River The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...

History

On 13 June 1194, the region of Belver was donated by King

Sancho I of Portugal Sancho I of Portugal (), nicknamed "the Populator" ( pt, "o Povoador"), King of Portugal (Coimbra, 11 November 115426 March 1211) was the second but only surviving legitimate son and fifth child of Afonso I of Portugal by his wife, Maud of Savoy. ...

to the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...

, with the condition that the knights were required to build a castle in the site. Between 1383 and 1385, Belver aligned itself with the forces of

Leonor Telles de Menezes Leonor Teles (or Teles de Meneses; ) was queen consort of Portugal by marriage to King Ferdinand I, and one of the protagonists, along with her brothers and her daughter Beatrice, of the events that led to the succession crisis of 1383–1385, ...

against the Master of Avis. In the 16th century, the parochial church was constructed. On 18 May 1518, King

Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portugal, a ...

conceded a

foral 200px, Foral of Castro Verde - Portugal The word ''foral'' ({{IPA-pt, fuˈɾaɫ, eu, plural: ''forais'') is a noun derived from the Portuguese word ''foro'', ultimately from Latin ''forum'', equivalent to Spanish ''fuero'', Galician ''foro'', Ca ...

(''charter'') to Belver. In the 17th century, the village was surveyed by Pedro Nunes Tinoco, and determined to be under the authority of the Priory of Crato. In 1836, the municipality of Belver was extinguished and the region was integrated into the municipality of

Mação Mação () is a municipality in the Santarém District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 7,338, in an area of 399.98 km². The present Mayor is Vasco António Mendonça Sequeira Estrela, elected by the Social Democratic Party. The muni ...

. This remained in effect until the end of the century, when in 1898 it was integrated into the municipality of Gavião. In 1905 a bridge was completed over the ''Ribeira de Belver''.

Geography

Belver is the northernmost civil parish of the municipality, and the only on the northern margin of the Tagus River (the remaining parishes of Gavião are on lands south of the Tagus). It is bordered by Gavião and Atalaia parishes (in the south), while surrounded by the parishes of Envendos, Mação and Ortiga (in the neighbouring municipality of

) to the northeast, north and northwest, respectively. It is located from the urban centre of Gavião along the left margin of the Tagus. The parish is situated in river valley, from the right margin of the

, along the confluence of the ''Ribeira de Belver''. Its highest elevation is occupied by the hilltop surmounted by the

Castle of Belver The Castle of Belver ( pt, Castelo de Belver) is a Portuguese castle in the civil parish of Belver, municipality of Gavião, district of Portalegre, in central Portugal. History Belver was the first castle and most important to be construct ...

, while the urban area is above sea level. Surrounding these hilltops are several olive orchards. It is accessible by rail-link (the Beira Baixa railway), with its stop in the city centre. Alternatively, the main access is along the A23/IP6/E806 motorway (''Auto-Estrada da Beira-Interior''), passing through the northern part of the parish, then south to the Tagus basin.

Architecture

Archaeological

* Dolmen of Penedo Gordo ( pt, Anta de Penedo Gordo)

Civic

* Belver Dam ( pt, Barragem do Belver) * Domingos da Vinha Museum ( pt, Museu de Domingos da Vinha) * Old Fountain (Degracia) ( pt, Fonte Velha em Degracia)

Military

( pt, Castelo de Belver)

Religious

* Chapel of São Brás ( pt, Capela de São Brás) * Church of Nossa Senhora da Visitação ( pt, Igreja Paroquial de Belver/Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Visitação) * Hermitage of Nossa Senhora do Pilar ( pt, Ermida de Nossa Senhora do Pilar)

References

;Notes ;Sources * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Belver (Gaviao) Freguesias of Gavião, Portugal