Covas do Barroso is a civil

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

( pt,

freguesia ''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 ...

) in northern

Portugal 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 ...

, 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 ...

Boticas Boticas () is a municipality in northern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 5,750,

, in the old district of

Vila Real Vila Real () is the capital and largest city of the Vila Real District, in the North region. It is also the seat of the Douro intermunicipal community and of the Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro historical province. The Vila Real municipality covers ...

. The population in 2011 was 262,Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE)
Census 2011 results according to the 2013 administrative division of Portugal in an area of 29.58 km². Located in the subregion of

Alto Trás-os-Montes Alto Trás-os-Montes (), or ''Nordeste Transmontano'', is a former NUTS-level 3 subregion of the Norte Region of Portugal. It was abolished at the January 2015 NUTS 3 revision. Its 15 municipalities occupied an area of in the north-east of conti ...

, it comprises three villages: Covas do Barroso, Romaínho and Muro.

History

During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, Covas do Barroso consisted of five settlements: Couto de Dornelas, São Salvador de Viveiro, Canedo, Cabanelas and São Martinho). But, owing to deaths caused by the plague, the latter two settlements (Cabanelas and São Martinho) were extinguished. The place's toponymy originated from its geographic location: the place is surrounded by mountain hilltops, and once seen from Alto do Castro, appears as ditch ( pt, cova). The settlement of this territory corresponds with the ancient castros discovered in this area. In many of these castros discoveries of archaeological artefacts have been common, including

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

coins, from the era of Emperor Ducas. Apart from archaeological proofs, the documented references refer to the existence of Covas do Barroso after the 12th century. Covas do Barroso was part of the municipality of Montalegre, until 6 November 1836, when the neighbouring municipality of Boticas was established. During this creation, Covas do Barroso passed into the administration of the latter, while judicially it was integrated into the

Comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...

of Chaves (in 1839), Montalegre (in 1878), and finally integrated into the Julgado de Eiró (in 1878). The attempted transfer of Covas do Barroso to municipality of

Ribeira de Pena Ribeira de Pena () is a municipality in the Vila Real District, in Norte Region in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 6,544,réis The first official currency of Brazil was the real (pronounced ; pl. ''réis''), with the symbol Rs$. As the currency of the Portuguese empire, it was in use in Brazil from the earliest days of the colonial period, and remained in use until 1942 ...

annually). Similarly, full electric light and electricity only arrived in 1966, owing to the installation of a generator in Aguieira.

Geography

Covas do Barroso situated in the river-valleys of the Serra de Dornela, 17 kilometres from the municipal seat of

Boticas Boticas () is a municipality in northern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 5,750,

, it consists of the localities of Covas do Barroso, Romainho and Muro. It is confronted by the parishes of Couto de Dornelas, São Salvador de Viveiro and Canedo.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Covas Do Barroso Freguesias of Boticas