Colares () is a

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 ...

along the coast of the municipality of

Sintra Sintra (, ) is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 377,835, in an area of . Sintra is one of the most urbanized and densely populated ...

. The population in 2011 was 7,628,Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE)
Census 2011 results according to the 2013 administrative division of Portugal in an area of .

History

Even before there was a "Portugal", the region of Colares was a place of human movement and settlement. By the Roman occupation of the Iberian peninsula, the architecture of Colares was carved by Latin inscriptions, such as one found near the mouth of the Maçãs River: ''SOLI ET LUNAE CESTIVIUS ACIDIVIS PERENNIS LEG. AVG. PR. PR. PROVINCIAE LUSITANAE''. It was conquered and held by

Sigurd I of Norway Sigurd Magnusson (1089 – 26 March 1130), also known as Sigurd the Crusader (Old Norse: ''Sigurðr Jórsalafari'', Norwegian: ''Sigurd Jorsalfar''), was King of Norway (being Sigurd I) from 1103 to 1130. His rule, together with his half-brothe ...

for a few months in 1108 in the

Norwegian Crusade The Norwegian Crusade, led by Norwegian King Sigurd I, was a crusade or a pilgrimage (sources differ) that lasted from 1107 to 1111, in the aftermath of the First Crusade. The Norwegian Crusade marks the first time a European king personally ...

. After a period of Moorish occupation, forces loyal to Afonso Henriques conquered the region, as a sequence of their victory in Sintra, around 1147 The region remained in the hands of the Crown until 1385, when it was donated by

John I John I may refer to: People * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I, Pope from 523 to 526 * John I (exarch) (died 615), Exarch of Ravenna * John I o ...

to the ''constable''

Nuno Álvares Pereira D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, O. Carm. (; 24 June 1360 – 1 November 1431) was a Portuguese general of great success who had a decisive role in the 1383-1385 Crisis that assured Portugal's independence from Castile. He later became a mystic ...

to compensate the mercenary for his support against Castile. These lands returned to the crown following the death of Infanta

Beatriz Beatriz (, ) is a Spanish, Galician and Portuguese female first name. It corresponds to the Latin name Beatrix and the English and Italian name Beatrice. The name in Latin means 'brings joy' and in other languages also means 'she who brings oth ...

, mother of

Manuel I Manuel I may refer to: *Manuel I Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (1143–1180) *Manuel I of Trebizond, Emperor of Trebizond (1228–1263) *Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), was ...

. The historical village of Colares, which was important in the nation's pre-history, obtained 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 ...

early after its creation. The parish of ''Nossa Senhora da Assunção'' was a bishopric rectory in the old

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 Torres Vedras, and Colares was the seat of its own municipality, attributed to King

Afonso III Afonso III (; rare English alternatives: ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse''), or ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese), ''Alfonso'' or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin), the Boulonnais ( Port. ''o Bolonhês''), King of Portugal ( ...

, in May 1255. A new foral was issued on 10 November 1516 by Manuel I. In 1801, the municipality of Colares included 1930 inhabitants, and by 1849, it already had 3341 inhabitants. During administrative reforms, on 24 October 1855, the municipality of Colares was extinguished and the territory integrated into the municipality of Sintra, as a civil parish. Grapevines are grown directly upon the sand in the

Colares DOC Colares is a Portuguese wine region centred on the Colares parish in the municipality of Sintra. The region has Portugal's highest wine classification of '' Denominação de Origem Controlada'' (DOC). Located along the southwestern Atlantic coast, ...

, which covers 50 acres of remaining vineyards. In the 1940s, vineyards covered 2,500 acres. Between 1934 and 1994, only the local co-op could use the Colares appellation. Red wines, which make up 75% of platings, are grown from

ramisco Ramisco is a red Portuguese wine grape variety that is planted primarily in the Colares DOC. As a varietal, Ramisco produces very tannic and astringent wines. J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Wine Course'' Third Edition pg 148 Abbeville Press 200 ...

grape and are aged over ten years before being marketed. White wines, grown from a local variant of

malvasia Malvasia (, also known as Malvazia) is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world. I ...

, are not aged as long. Because

phylloxera Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belong to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs ...

aphids cannot live on sand, Colares vineyards are some of the only European vines that are not grafted upon American rootstocks.

Geography

The civil parish is located on the western coast of Portugal, and marked by Europe's extreme western extent:

Cabo da Roca Cabo da Roca () or Cape Roca is a cape which forms the westernmost point of the Sintra Mountain Range, of mainland Portugal, of continental Europe, and of the Eurasian landmass. It is situated in the municipality of Sintra, near Azóia, in th ...

. Its contains the settlements

Almoçageme Almoçageme (pronounced: Al-mu-sa-jè-mê) is a village on the Portuguese municipality of Sintra and in the Freguesia of Colares. The name Almoçageme is obviously Arab in origin – the Iberian peninsula is packed with Muslim toponyms that ar ...

, Atalaia,

Azenhas do Mar Azenhas do Mar is a seaside town (residential neighborhood) in the municipality of Sintra, Portugal. It is part of Colares civil parish. Azenhas do Mar means ''Watermills of the Sea'' and the name derives from a once-powerful stream that moved th ...

, Azóia, Colares, Eugaria, Gigarós, Mucifal, Penedo, Praia das Maçãs and Ulgueira.

Climate

Architecture

Prehistoric

* Dolmen of Adrenunes ( pt, Anta de Adrenunes) * Praia das Maçãs Prehistoric Monument

Archaeological

* Archaeological Site of Alto da Vigia ( pt, Sítio Arqueológico do Alto da Vigia) *

Roman villa of Santo André de Almoçageme The Roman ruins of Santo Andre de Almoçageme ( pt, Ruinas romanas de Santo Andre de Almoçageme) is a Portuguese archaeological site located in the rural civil parish of Colares, in the municipality of Sintra. It includes a group of structures wi ...

( pt, Vila Romana de Santo André de Almoçageme) * Tholos tomb of Bela Vista ( pt, Tholos da Bela Vista) * Tholos tomb of Monge ( pt, Tholos do Monge)

Civic

* Building of Correios, Telégrafos e Telefones (CTT) de Colares * Vila Vitorino * Cinema/Theatre Gomes da Silva ( pt, Cine-Teatre Gomes da Silva) * Cellar of the Viscount Salreu ( pt, Adega do Visconde Salreu) * Estate of Quinta do Casas Novas * Estate of Quinta da Fonte * Estate of Quinta da Fonte Velha * Estate of Quinta de Vale Marinha * Estate of Quinta do Pé da Serra * Estate of Quinta do Rio Milho * Estate of Quinta dos Freixes * Estate of Quinta Mazziotti/Quinta do França * Estate of Quinta Milides * Estate of Nossa Senhora de Melides * Fountain of Espoujeiro ( pt, Chafariz do Espoujeiro) * Lighthouse of Cabo da Roca ( pt, Farol do Cabo da Roca) * Pillory of Colares ( pt, Pelourinho de Colares) * Primary School of Azenhas do Mar ( pt, Escola Primária das Azenhas do Mar) * Residence of Quinta da Bela Vista ( pt, Casa da Quinta da Bela Vista) * Residence of Quinta do Cosme ( pt, Casa dos Lafetás/Quinta do Cosme) * Residence of Quinta do Vinagre ( pt, Casa da Quinta do Vinagre) * Residence (Pombaline) on ''Largo do Pelourinho'' ( pt, Casa Pombalino no Largo do Pelourinho) * Residence (17th century) on ''Largo do Pelourinho'' ( pt, Casa Setecentista no Largo do Pelourinho) * Residence on ''Avenida do Atlântico, 180'' ( pt, Moradia na Avenida do Atlântico, 180) * Residence on ''Rua da Abreja'' ( pt, Casa na Rua da Abreja) * Residence on ''Rua da República'' ( pt, Casa na Rua da República) * Residence Saloia ( pt, Casa Saloia no Penedo) * Summer cottage of Praia das Maçãs ( pt, Colónia de Férias de Praia das Maçãs) * Villa Guida * (Old) Casino of Praia das Maçãs ( pt, Antigo Casino de Praia das Maçãs)

Military

* Castle of Colares ( pt, Castelo Velho de Colares)

Religious

* Chapel of the Misericórdia of Colares ( pt, Capela da Misericórdia de Colares) * Chapel of Nossa Senhora das Mercês ( pt, Capela da Nossa Senhora das Mercês) * Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Praia ( pt, Capela da Nossa Senhora da Praia) * Chapel of São Lourenço ( pt, Capela de São Lourenço) * Church of Almoçageme ( pt, Igreja Parochial de Almoçageme) * Church of Nossa Senhora da Assunção ( pt, Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Assunção) * Convent of Santa Ana ( pt, Convento de Santa Ana da Ordem do Carmo) * Convent of Santa Cruz ( pt, Convento de Santa Cruz do Capuchos) * Convent of São Saturino ( pt, Convento de São Saturino) * Hermitage of Nossa Senhora da Conceição de Ulgueira ( pt, Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Ulgeira) * Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Peninha ( pt, Santuário da Peninha / Capela de Nossa Senhora da Penha e dependências)

References

{{Authority control Parishes of Sintra