São João, or São João Baptista, is a former '' freguesia'' ("civil parish"), located in the municipality of Abrantes, in Santarém District, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish
Abrantes (São Vicente e São João) e Alferrarede
Union of Parishes of Abrantes e São Vicente e São João e Alferrarede is a ''freguesia'' ("civil parish") in the municipality of Abrantes on Santarém District Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes São Vicente, S ...
. The population in 2011 was 1,699, in an area of 2.21 km². It was one of the three parishes that make up the urbanized area of the city.
History
The origin of São João has its base in the early settlement of Abrantes, first documented in 1176. Afonso Henriques granted its
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
to the Order of Santiago de la Espada in 1173. Three years later, he granted its fish channel to the Monastery of Lorvão. The grant was partly in aid of the residents, but entitled the King to nine-tenths of the catch. In 1179, Afonso Henriques granted a foral to Abrantes, which was confirmed by King Afonso II in 1217. On 24 April 1281, King
Denis
Denis may refer to:
People
* Saint Denis of Paris, 3rd-century Christian martyr and first bishop of Paris
* Denis the Areopagite, Biblical figure
* Denis, son of Ampud (died 1236), baron in the Kingdom of Hungary
* Denis the Carthusian (1402–14 ...
granted Abrantes to his wife, 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 ...
. He continued to expand the fort, building the detention block. With the aim of expanding the settlement, he extended its jurisdiction to include Punhete (today's Constância).
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Abrantes was an important military base, classified a ''Praça de Guerra de 1.ª Ordem'' ( en, War Plaza of the First Order).
In 1807, during the Napoleonic invasions of the peninsula, the fort and parish were a staging point for Marshall
Jean-Andoche Junot
Jean-Andoche Junot, 1st Duke of Abrantes (24 September 1771 – 29 July 1813) was a French military officer during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.
Biography
Early life
Junot was born in Bussy-le-Grand, Côte-d'Or, so ...
's troops (23 November). Later, Marshall André Masséna's forces encircled the fort and settlement, but the Anglo-Portuguese troops and local inhabitants defended the parish, until he was forced to retire from Portugal to Spain.Robert Southey (1823), p.547
The Church of Saint John the Baptist ( pt, Igreja de São João Baptista) was founded in 1300, by 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 ...
, and the settlement was elevated to parish rank shortly after (in 1326). It was from this church that King
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 ...
departed for
Aljubarrota
Aljubarrota is a ''freguesia'' ("civil parish") in the municipality of Alcobaça, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the parishes of Prazeres and São Vicente. Its population in 2011 was 6,639Mass on 8 August 1385, vowing to return and offer thanksgiving for success in battle. With victory achieved, he returned and had a rock sculpture of John the Baptist erected.
Geography
The parish is a circular administrative division located on the northern margin of the Tagus River, at the southern border of the city of Abrantes. Neighbouring parishes include Alferrarede (to the east),
Rossio ao Sul do Tejo
The Rossio is the popular name of the King Pedro IV Square ( pt, Praça de D. Pedro IV) in the city of Lisbon, in Portugal. It is located in the Pombaline Downtown of Lisbon and has been one of its main squares since the Middle Ages. It has been t ...
(to the southwest),
São Miguel do Rio Torto
SAO or Sao may refer to:
Places
* Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD
* Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso
* Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S ...
(to the southwest) and São Vicente (to the northwest).
* Igreja de Santa Maria do Castelo ( en, Church of
Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...
of the Castle)
* Igreja de São João Baptista ( en, Church of Saint John the Baptist)
* Igreja da Misercórdia ( en, Church of Forgiveness)
* Convento de São Domingos ( en, Convent of
Saint Dominic
Saint Dominic ( es, Santo Domingo; 8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), also known as Dominic de Guzmán (), was a Castilian Catholic priest, mystic, the founder of the Dominican Order and is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientis ...
)
Culture
Festivities
The ''Festas de Abrantes'' ( en, Festivals of Abrantes), celebrated on the second week of June and which each year attract about 250,000 visitors, are the principal socio-cultural event of the parish. The religious ''Festa da Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem'' ( en, Feast/Festival of Our Lady of Good Voyage), in the locality of Barreiras do Tejo, is celebrated each year in August/September.