Estremoz () is a municipality in

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 ...

. The population in 2011 was 14,318,Instituto Nacional de Estatística
/ref> in an area of 513.80 km². The city Estremoz itself had a population of 7,682 in 2001. It is located in the

Alentejo Alentejo ( , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond () the Tagus river" (''Tejo''). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo and Baixo Alent ...

region.

History

The region around Estremoz has been inhabited since pre-historic times. There are also vestiges of

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

Visigoth The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kno ...

and

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

occupation. During the

Reconquista The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...

, Estremoz was captured in the 12th century by the army of knight Geraldo Sem Pavor (''Gerald the Fearless''), who had also conquered neighbouring

Évora Évora ( , ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. It has 53,591 inhabitants (2021), in an area of 1307.08 km2. It is the historic capital of the Alentejo and serves as the seat of the Évora District. Due to its well-preserved old to ...

. However, Estremoz was soon retaken by the

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

and only in the mid-13th century was it reconquered by the Portuguese King Sancho II. An important strategic site between the Kingdoms of

and Castile, Estremoz received a charter (

fuero (), (), () or () is a Spanish legal term and concept. The word comes from Latin , an open space used as a market, tribunal and meeting place. The same Latin root is the origin of the French terms and , and the Portuguese terms and ; all ...

) in 1258 from

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 ( ...

after the Moors were driven out a second time, which promoted Christian colonization in the area. King

Dinis Denis (, ; 9 October 1261 – 7 January 1325 in Santarém), called the Farmer King (''Rei Lavrador'') and the Poet King (''Rei Poeta''), was King of Portugal. The eldest son of Afonso III of Portugal by his second wife, Beatrice of Castile, an ...

rebuilt the castle as a royal palace, further promoting the area. His widow, Dowager Queen

Elizabeth of Portugal Elizabeth of Aragon, more commonly known as Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, T.O.S.F. (1271 – 4 July 1336; ''Elisabet'' in Catalan, ''Isabel'' in Aragonese, Portuguese and Spanish), was queen consort of Portugal, a tertiary of the Franciscan Or ...

, died in Estremoz castle on July 4, 1336, shortly after mediating a peace treaty between her son Alfonso IV of Portugal and grandson

Alfonso XI of Castile Alfonso XI (13 August 131126 March 1350), called the Avenger (''el Justiciero''), was King of Castile and León. He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes en ...

. Her grandson

Pedro I of Portugal Peter I (Portuguese: ''Pedro I'', ; 8 April 1320 – 18 January 1367), called the Just (''o Justiceiro'') or the Cruel (''o Cruel''), was King of Portugal from 1357 until his death. He was the third but only surviving son of Afonso IV of Portuga ...

died in the Franciscan monastery at Estremoz in 1367. During the 1383–1385 Crisis,

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 ...

established his headquarters in Estremoz, then defeated the Castilian forces at the

Battle of Atoleiros The Battle of Atoleiros () took place on 6 April 1384, between a Portuguese force and a punitive expedition from Castile sent by John I. The battle took place near the population centre of Fronteira in Alentejo. It was the first major battl ...

. During the

Portuguese Restoration War The Portuguese Restoration War ( pt, Guerra da Restauração) was the war between History of Portugal (1640–1777), Portugal and Habsburg Spain, Spain that began with the Portuguese revolution of 1640 and ended with the Treaty of Lisbon (1668), ...

(1640–1668), Portuguese forces (including from Estremoz) defeated the Castilians in the nearby and decisive Battles of Ameixial (1663) and

Montes Claros Montes Claros is a city located in northern Minas Gerais state, in Brazil. The population is 413,487 (2020 est.) in an area of . It was made a seat of a municipality in 1831 and attained city status in 1857. History The region was originally in ...

(1665).

Geography

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 9 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 ...

''): * Ameixial (Santa Vitória e São Bento) * Arcos * Estremoz (Santa Maria e Santo André) * Évora Monte (Santa Maria) * Glória * São Bento do Cortiço e Santo Estêvão * São Domingos de Ana Loura * São Lourenço de Mamporcão e São Bento de Ana Loura * Veiros

Economy

Together with the two other marble towns, Borba and

Vila Viçosa Vila Viçosa () is a town and a municipality in the District of Évora, Alentejo in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 8,319, in an area of 194.86 km². The municipal holiday is August 16. Parishes Administratively, the municipality is d ...

, Estremoz is internationally known for its fine to medium

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

that occurs in several colours: white, cream, pink, grey or black and streaks with any combination of these colours. Especially the pink marble (Rosa Aurora and Estremoz Pink) is in high demand. This marble has been used since Antiquity as a material for

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

and

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

. The first exports in Roman times were probably for the construction of the Circus Maximus of Emerita Augusta, in modern-day

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. The Portuguese navigators exported this marble to Africa, India and Brazil. The marble from this region was used in famed locations such as the Monastery of Jerónimos, the

Monastery of Batalha The Monastery of Batalha ( pt, Mosteiro da Batalha) is a Dominican convent in the municipality of Batalha, in the district of Leiria, in the Centro Region of Portugal. Originally, and officially, known as the ''Monastery of Saint Mary of the V ...

, the

Monastery of Alcobaça A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

and the Tower of Belém. There is so much marble around Estremoz that it is used everywhere; even the doorsteps, pavements and the cobble stones are made out of marble. This marble is even converted into

whitewash Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime ( calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk calcium carbonate, (CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes used ...

for painting the houses. Portugal is the second largest exporter of marble in the world, surpassed only by Italy (

Carrara Carrara ( , ; , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, in central Italy, of the province of Massa and Carrara, and notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some Boxing the compass, west-northwest o ...

marble). About 85% of this marble (over 370,000 tons) is produced around Estremoz. In the quarries marble blocks are cut from the rock with a diamond wire saw, a durable steel cable with a series of circular diamond beads. The initial conduit for the wire is made by drilling a horizontal hole and a vertical hole of which the ends meet exactly inside the rock. The wire saw may need a day to cut through the marble. The Estremoz marble has been designated by the

International Union of Geological Sciences The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) is an international non-governmental organization devoted to international cooperation in the field of geology. About The IUGS was founded in 1961 and is a Scientific Union member of the Inte ...

as a

Global Heritage Stone Resource The Global Heritage Stone Resource (GHSR) designation seeks international recognition of natural stone resources that have achieved widespread utilisation in human culture. Details of the “Global Heritage Stone Resource” proposal were first pr ...

Architecture

Archaeological

* Atalaia das Casas Novas/Atalaia da Frandina

Civic

* Café Aguias d'Ouro ( pt, Edifício no Rossio do Marquês de Pombal, 27/Café Águias d' Ouro) * Estremoz Caixa Geral dos Depósitos ( pt, Edifício da Caixa Geral de Depósitos, CGD, de Estremoz) * Estremoz Postal, Telegraph and Telephones (CTT) ( pt, Building Edifício dos Correios, Telégrafos e Telefones, CTT, de Estremoz) * Jailhouse of Estremoz ( pt, Cadeia de Estremoz) * Municipal Palace/Hall of Evoramonte ( pt, Câmara Municipal e Cadeia de Évora Monte/Paços do Concelho de Evoramonte) * Municipal Palace/Hall of Estremoz ( pt, Casa do Alcaide-mor/Câmara Municipal de Estremoz) * National Tuberculosos Assistance Dispensary ( pt, Dispensário da Assistência Nacional aos Tuberculosos, IANT, de Estremoz)

Military

* Castle of Estremoz ( pt, Castelo de Estremoz/Pousada Rainha Santa Isabel) *

Castle of Evoramonte The Castle of Evoramonte, alternately spelled ''Évora Monte'' or ''Évoramonte'', ( pt, Castelo de Évora Monte/Castelo de Evoramonte, links=no) is a Portuguese castle in the civil parish of Evoramonte, municipality of Estremoz in the former distr ...

( pt, Castelo de Evoramonte ou Évora Monte/Castelo e cerca urbana de Evoramonte) * Castle of Vieros ( pt, Castelo de Veiros/Castelo e cerca urbana de Veiros)

Religious

* Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Conceição ( pt, Capela de Nossa Senhora da Conceição) * Chapel of Nossa Senhora dos Mártires ( pt, Capela de Nossa Senhora dos Mártires) * Chapel of Santa Margarida ( pt, Capela de Santa Margarida) * Convent of the Congregation ( pt, Convento dos Congregados/Câmara Municipal de Estremoz/Biblioteca Municipal de Estremoz/Museu de Arte Sacra de Estremoz) * Convent of Santo António ( pt, Estremoz Convento de Santo António de Estremoz) * Convent of São Francisco ( pt, Convento de São Francisco de Estremoz) * Cross of the Misericórdia ( pt, Cruzeiro da Misericórdia de Estremoz) * Cross of São Francisco ( pt, Cruzeiro de São Francisco de Estremoz) * Hermitage of Nossa Senhora da Conceição ( pt, Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Conceição)

Notable people

* Etienne de Brito (1567–1641) a Roman Catholic prelate, Archbishop of Cranganore and Titular

Bishop of Salona The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Split-Makarska ( hr, Splitsko-makarska nadbiskupija; la, Archidioecesis Spalatensis-Macarscensis) is a Metropolitan archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in Croatia and Montenegro.

Francisco de Melo Dom Francisco de Melo (1597 – 18 December 1651) was a Portuguese nobleman who served as a Spanish general during the Thirty Years' War. Biography Francisco was born in Estremoz, Portugal. From 1632 to 1636 he had been Spanish ambassador to th ...

(1597–1651) a Portuguese nobleman who served as a Spanish general. *

João de Sousa Carvalho João de Sousa Carvalho (22 February 1745c. 1798) was the foremost Portuguese composer of his generation. Born in Estremoz, he studied music from 1753 at the Colégio dos Santos Reis in Vila Viçosa, then from 1761 at the Conservatório di San ...

(1745– c.1798) the foremost Portuguese composer of his generation. *

António de Spínola António Sebastião Ribeiro de Spínola (generally referred to as António de Spínola, ;This surname, however, was not accompanied by the grammatical nobiliary particle "de". 11 April 1910 – 13 August 1996) was a Portuguese military off ...

(1910–1996) a Portuguese military officer, author and conservative politician * Rita Rato (born 1983) a Portuguese politician and director of the

Cadeia do Aljube Cadeia do Aljube is a former prison in Lisbon, Portugal, now serving as a museum. Situated near the Sé Cathedral in the parish of Santa Maria Maior, the prison housed those convicted through the Ecclesiastical Forum until 1820, then women ac ...

museum * Paulo Sérgio (born 1968) a Portuguese retired footballer with 331 club caps

References

External links

*
Official websitePhotos from Estremoz
{{authority control Municipalities of Portugal Cities in Portugal