Fornos () is a former

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 of

Freixo de Espada à Cinta Freixo de Espada à Cinta (), sometimes erroneously called Freixo de Espada Cinta (an archaism), is a municipality in the northeastern region of Portugal, near the border with Spain, along the Douro River Valley. The population in 2011 was 3,780, ...

, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Lagoaça e Fornos. It is located 17 kilometres south of the municipal seat, in the northeast of Portugal. In 2001 its population was less than 418 inhabitants, in an area of 28.67 km² bordering the Spanish border along the

Douro River The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part of ...

History

Early references to the parish refer to the existence of ancient

kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay int ...

s used in the production of ceramic pottery.António Pimenta de Castro (2002) The land was probably inhabited before record-keeping was begun, and is substantiated by the discovery of a granite-sculpted pig (likely a wild boar) that was discovered by

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

Tavares in Escouradal. This was during a period when an ecclesiastical vicarage under the authority of the

archpriest The ecclesiastical title of archpriest or archpresbyter belongs to certain priests with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Catholic Churches and may be somewhat analogous ...

''ad nutum'' from the religious college in Freixo de Espada à Cinta governed the lands in this region. In 1644, 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), ...

, it was looted by the Spanish army, along with the neighbouring parish of Lagoaça. Between 26 June 1896 and 13 January 1898, Fornos was incorporated into the municipality of

Torre de Moncorvo Torre de Moncorvo () is a List of municipalities of Portugal, municipality in the district of Bragança (district), Bragança in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 8,572, in an area of 531.56 km². The present mayor is Nuno Gonçalves, elec ...

, along with the municipality of Freixo de Espada à Cinta.

Geography

Fornos is crossed by the E.N.221 national roadway, which bisects the parish in the northwest corner (from southwest to northeast). The roads of the main village run perpendicular to the E.N.221, such as the ''Rua do Calvário'' and ''Rua Nova'' (the roadway where the main clock-tower is located), ''Rua da Igreja'', ''Largo do Terreiro do Santo'', ''Largo do Senhor da Rua Nova'' and ''Rua do Santo'' (where the Chapel of Santo António and historical fountain is located). The community was formerly served by the

Sabor line The Sabor line ''(Linha do Sabor)'' was a railway in north-east Portugal. It ran for nearly 106 km between Pocinho and Duas Igrejas, near Miranda do Douro. It closed in 1988. History The Sabor line served a very rural part of the country, follow ...

, a

narrow gauge railway A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structur ...

which closed in 1988. The belvedere of Carrascalinho is a popular physical attraction in the village: it has a panoramic vista of the

Douro The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part of ...

river, that includes the river valley and the extensions of the Spanish province of

Salamanca Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritag ...

. In reality, much (two-thirds) of the parish is included within the

International Douro Natural Park The Douro International Natural Park ( pt, Parque Natural do Douro Internacional) is a natural park in northeast Portugal. With , it is one the largest protected areas in the country. It is located in the municipalities of Miranda do Douro, Mogado ...

, which stretches down the eastern border region of the municipality of Freixo de Espada à Cinta.

Economy

The principal activity in Fornos is agriculture: its settlers work in the fields, towards the cultivation of cereal crops, potato, olives and the production of olive oil, in addition to herding (particularly dairy and sheep).

Architecture

* Matriz Church - which was constructed in 1609 to the invocation of Santa Eulália, is a rustic building with main bell-tower with double bells.

Culture

The principal celebration in the parish is dedicated to the ''Senhor da Rua Nova'', which occurs annually on the first Sunday of September.

References

;Notes ;Sources * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fornos (Freixo de Espada a Cinta) Freguesias of Freixo de Espada à Cinta Former parishes of Portugal