Belmonte () 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 Castelo Branco, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 6,859,Instituto Nacional de Estatística
in an area of 118.76 km².

History

Centum Cellae (Colmeal da Torre), a parish of Belmonte

Belmonte is the birthplace of

Pedro Álvares Cabral Pedro Álvares Cabral ( or ; born Pedro Álvares de Gouveia; c. 1467 or 1468 – c. 1520) was a Portuguese nobleman, military commander, navigator and explorer regarded as the European discoverer of Brazil. He was the first human in ...

, the navigator who discovered the land of Vera Cruz, now known as

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Located in the Church of Santa Maria is the iconic statue of Nossa Senhora da Esperança (Our Lady of Hope), which Cabral took with him on his voyage. Until 1834, the statue was held by the Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Esperança. The former religious facility has been adapted for use as a modern boutique hotel. The singer Zeca Afonso lived in Belmonte for part of his childhood, between 1938 and 1940. He lived with his uncle, the mayor of the town, whilst his parents, José Nepomuceno Afonso dos Santos, a magistrate, and Maria das Dores Dantas Cerqueira, a primary school teacher, were living and working in

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

. Belmonte is home to the last remaining community of marranos in Portugal (known as the Belmonte Jews). They officially returned to

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...

in the 1970s and opened a synagogue in 1996. In 2003, the

American Sephardi Federation The American Sephardi Federation, a founding member of the Center for Jewish History, is a non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit ...

founded the Belmonte Project, designated to raise funds to acquire Judaic educational material and services for the community, which now numbers 160–180. They opened a Jewish Museum of Belmonte ( pt, Museu Judaico de Belmonte) on 17 April 2005. In the summer of 2006, the American Sephardi Federation ceased to have the Belmonte Project under its auspices.

Geography

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 4 civil parishes ('' freguesias''): * Belmonte e Colmeal da Torre * Caria * Inguias * Maçaínhas

Notable people

(ca.1467 – ca.1520) was a Portuguese nobleman, military commander, navigator and explorer. In 1500 Cabral conducted the first substantial exploration of the northeast coast of South America and discovered

References

External links

Town Hall official website
*, Spring 2003
Photos from BelmonteAfter 500 Years in Hiding, Jews Bring Prosperity to Iberian Town
Historic Jewish communities in Europe Jewish Portuguese history Populated places in Castelo Branco District Municipalities of Castelo Branco District {{CasteloBranco-geo-stub