Parchal is a town and 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 (''
concelho
Concelho () is the Portuguese-language term for municipality, referring to the territorial subdivision in local government. In comparison, the word ''município'' () refers to the organs of State. This differentiation is still in use in Portugal a ...
'') of
Lagoa, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish
Estômbar e Parchal
Estômbar e Parchal is a civil parish in the municipality of Lagoa, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes Estômbar and Parchal
Parchal is a town and a former civil parish in the municipality ('' concelho'') of L ...
. The population in 2011 was 4,019, in an area of 3.86 km².
Eurostat
/ref> It is situated in the northwest part of the Lagoa Municipality.
Parchal serves mainly as a bedroom community for Portimão
Portimão () is a city and a municipality in the district of Faro, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 55,614, in an area of 182.06 km2. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão (). In 1924, it was ...
, and many of its residents travel daily across the Rio Arade
The Arade () is a river located in the region of the Algarve, southern Portugal. the river's course takes it through the municipalities of Silves, Lagoa and Portimão. The source of the river lies to the southwest of the Serra do Caldeirão mou ...
to work in the neighboring municipality.
History
Parchal, on the east bank of the Rio Arade
The Arade () is a river located in the region of the Algarve, southern Portugal. the river's course takes it through the municipalities of Silves, Lagoa and Portimão. The source of the river lies to the southwest of the Serra do Caldeirão mou ...
, was separated from the 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 ...
of Estômbar
Estômbar is a town in the civil parish of Estômbar e Parchal, in the municipality (''concelho'') of Lagoa, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 4,985, in an area of 24.21 km². It is situated just west of the city of Lagoa itself. Its civi ...
on June 20, 1997. Its civil status was raised to that of a town on July 12, 2001.
The name “Parchal” appears to derive from “Parchel” or “Praxel”, the name of an old Franciscan monastery in the neighbouring village (to the east) of Calvário, in the 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 ...
of Estômbar
Estômbar is a town in the civil parish of Estômbar e Parchal, in the municipality (''concelho'') of Lagoa, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 4,985, in an area of 24.21 km². It is situated just west of the city of Lagoa itself. Its civi ...
. The word “praxel”, of Arabic origin, means a “flooded” or “marshy area”, just as occurred regularly in the area of Parchal in its early days, constantly invaded by the waters of the Rio Arade
The Arade () is a river located in the region of the Algarve, southern Portugal. the river's course takes it through the municipalities of Silves, Lagoa and Portimão. The source of the river lies to the southwest of the Serra do Caldeirão mou ...
. Much earlier than its current designation, it was also known as “Aldeia dós Cucos,” a common reference to the Cuco family, one of the first to settle in Parchel.
Basic agriculture at first, and fishing and fish canning later, were the poles of attraction leading to the creation of the first nucleus of settlement across from Portimão
Portimão () is a city and a municipality in the district of Faro, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 55,614, in an area of 182.06 km2. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão (). In 1924, it was ...
, and linked to it by the railway bridge and the “old” road bridge at the turn of the twentieth century. A major fishing boat harbour was created on the Arade
The Arade () is a river located in the region of the Algarve, southern Portugal. the river's course takes it through the municipalities of Silves, Lagoa and Portimão. The source of the river lies to the southwest of the Serra do Caldeirão mou ...
below the bridges, and at the height of the canning industry in the middle of twentieth century, a number of canneries established themselves in the area. By the time the canning industry began to decline in the 1970s, Parchal had already become a consolidated urban area which strong ties to Portimão, where many of Parchal’s inhabitants worked in fishing, commerce or service industries.
Sub-areas
* Bela Vista
* Mexilhoeira da Carregação
* Pateiro
Significant Sites
*Igreja de Parchal, also known as the “Igreja de São Francisco de Assis”
*Fishing Port
Pavilhão do Arade
Economic Activity
* Fishing
* Fish culture
* Gathering/sale of bivalves
* Civil construction
* Small industry
References
External links
Junta de Freguesia do ParchalEscola E.B. 2/3 Rio Arade - ParchalCâmara Municipal de LagoaPavilhão do Arade
{{authority control
Villages in the Algarve
Lagoa, Algarve