Vila Franca de Xira () is a city and municipality in the

Lisbon District Lisbon District ( pt, Distrito de Lisboa, ) is a district located along the western coast of Portugal. The district capital is the city of Lisbon, which is also the national capital. From its creation until 1926, it included the area of the cur ...

in Portugal. The population in 2021 was 137,659, in an area of 318.19 km². Situated on both banks of the

Tagus River The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...

, 32 km north-east of the Portuguese capital

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

, settlement in the area dates back to

neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

times, as evidenced by findings in the Cave of Pedra Furada. Vila Franca de Xira is said to have been founded by French followers of Portugal's first king,

Afonso Henriques Afonso I of PortugalOr also ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin version), sometimes rendered in English as ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', depending on the Spanish or French inf ...

, around 1200. The town is mostly famous for its

bull-running Bull running was a custom practised in England until the 19th century. It involved chasing a bull through the streets of a town until it was weakened, then slaughtering the animal and butchering it for its meat. Bull running became illegal in 1835 ...

festivals in July and October. Bulls are raised in the salty marshlands of the

Ribatejo The Ribatejo () is the most central of the traditional provinces of Portugal, with no coastline or border with Spain. The region is crossed by the Tagus river (''Ribatejo'' translates to "upper Tagus", or more precisely, "up the Tagus" relative ...

, which is also a notable breeding ground for the magnificent

Lusitano The Lusitano, also known as the Pure Blood Lusitano or PSL (''Puro Sangue Lusitano''), is a Portuguese horse breed. Horses were known to be present on the Iberian Peninsula as far back as 20,000 BC, and by 800 BC the region was renowned fo ...

horse, esteemed for its quick reflexes and maneuverability. A number of brightly coloured Portuguese bullfighting costumes are on display in the ethnographic museum in the town's bullring, the Praça de Toiros (or Touros) Palha Blanco. Notably, the town was the stage for the eponymously named

Vilafrancada Vilafrancada was an uprising led by prince Miguel I of Portugal in Vila Franca de Xira on 27 May 1823. Origins The liberal regime established in Portugal by the Liberal Revolution of 1820 did not enjoy the confidence of more traditional elements o ...

in May of 1823. The Vilafrancada was an insurrection led by prince Miguel I of Portugal, son of King

John VI of Portugal , house = Braganza , father = Peter III of Portugal , mother = Maria I of Portugal , birth_date = , birth_place = Queluz Palace, Queluz, Portugal , death_date = , death_place = Bemposta Palace, Lisbon, Portugal , ...

, which sought to reestablish an absolutist monarchy in Portugal. This came in response to the

Portuguese Constitution of 1822 The Portuguese Constitution of 1822 (formally the Political Constitution of the Portuguese Monarchy) ( pt, Constituição Política da Monarquia Portuguesa) approved on 23 September 1822 was the first Portuguese constitution, marking an attempt to ...

- the Kingdom's first constitution - which turned Portugal from an absolutist monarchy to a parlamentarian monarchy. The Vilafrancada can be seen as a prelude to the Portuguese Civil War of 1828-34. In 1951, the town benefited from the completion of the Marechal Carmona Bridge. Located almost equidistantly between Lisbon and Santarém, The town provided an ideal place for a road bridge. The bridge was the first to cross the Tagus in the Lisbon region, and remained its only crossing until the inauguration of the

25 de Abril Bridge The 25 de Abril Bridge ( pt, Ponte 25 de Abril, 25th of April Bridge, ) is a suspension bridge connecting the city of Lisbon, capital of Portugal, to the municipality of Almada on the left (south) bank of the Tagus river. It has a total len ...

fifteen years later. As a result, Vilafranca experienced greater traffic and commercial opportunities during this period. Nearby, the town's Misericórdia church features striking 18th-century

azulejo ''Azulejo'' (, ; from the Arabic ''al- zillīj'', ) is a form of Spanish and Portuguese painted tin-glazed ceramic tilework. ''Azulejos'' are found on the interior and exterior of churches, palaces, ordinary houses, schools, and nowadays, resta ...

s (glazed tiles). The town also has a Museum of Neo-Realism. Three km south of Vila Franca de Xira lies the Lezíria Grande Equestrian Centre, where visitors can watch stylish displays of the impressive Lusitano horses. The centre also stages typical bullfighting spectacles in its outdoor bullring. Visitors can ride Lusitano horses and take dressage lessons at the Quinta de São Sebastião, a sprawling estate at

Arruda dos Vinhos Arruda dos Vinhos () is a municipality in the Lisbon District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 13,391,Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

and forming part of the

Lines of Torres Vedras The Lines of Torres Vedras were lines of forts and other military defences built in secrecy to defend Lisbon during the Peninsular War. Named after the nearby town of Torres Vedras, they were ordered by Arthur Wellesley, Viscount Wellington, ...

. These include the

Fort of Subserra The Fort of Subserra (No. 1), also known as the Fort of Alhandra, is situated at 142 metres above sea level close to Alhandra in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira in the Lisbon District of Portugal. Together with other smaller redoubts and ...

on the first line of defence and the

Forts of Serra da Aguieira The Forts of Serra da Aguieira (Hills of Aguieira) were three forts constructed within 100 metres of each other as part of the second line of defence of the so-called Lines of Torres Vedras, which were constructed by Anglo-Portuguese forces in 181 ...

and the

Fort of Casa The Fort of Casa was the most easterly of the forts and redoubts built in 1809-10 during the Peninsular War on the second line of the three defensive Lines of Torres Vedras aimed at protecting the capital of Portugal, Lisbon. It is situated in th ...

on the second line. Another place of interest, on the left bank, is the

Hermitage of Nossa Senhora de Alcamé The Hermitage of Nossa Senhora de Alcamé (Our Lady of Alcamé) ( pt, Ermida de Nossa Senhora de Alcamé) is situated on the Lezíria flood plain on the left bank of the River Tagus, in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira in the Lisbon Distr ...

, which was built so that farmers on the Tagus floodplain would both have somewhere to pray and also somewhere of safety during floods. An annual pilgrimage is held to the hermitage with participants going by boat from the town of Vila Franca de Xira on the right bank. The current Mayor is Alberto Mesquita, elected in 2013 as a member of the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

Climate

Vila Franca de Xira has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters.

Demographics

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 6 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 ...

''): *

Alhandra, São João dos Montes e Calhandriz Alhandra, São João dos Montes e Calhandriz is a civil parish in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes Alhandra, São João dos Montes and Calhandriz. The population in 2011 ...

* Alverca do Ribatejo e Sobralinho *

Castanheira do Ribatejo e Cachoeiras Castanheira do Ribatejo e Cachoeiras is a civil parish in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira Vila Franca de Xira () is a city and municipality in the Lisbon District in Portugal. The population in 2021 was 137,659, in an area of 318.19 ...

* Póvoa de Santa Iria e Forte da Casa * Vialonga * Vila Franca de Xira

Notable people

Afonso de Albuquerque (with Santiago cloak)

* Fernão Álvares da Maia (c.1390-1449) Portuguese nobleman, Lord of Pena, Aguiar, and Trofa *

Afonso de Albuquerque Afonso de Albuquerque, 1st Duke of Goa (; – 16 December 1515) was a Portuguese general, admiral, and statesman. He served as viceroy of Portuguese India from 1509 to 1515, during which he expanded Portuguese influence across the Indian Ocean ...

, 1st Duke of Goa (c.1453–1515) a Portuguese general, admiral and statesman;

Governor of Portuguese India , insignia = , insigniasize = , insigniacaption = , image = Lesser coat of arms of Portuguese India.svg , imagesize = 120px , imagecaption = Coat of arms of Portuguese India , style ...

from 1509 to 1515. *

José da Costa e Silva José da Costa e Silva (25 July 1747 – 21 March 1819) was a Portuguese architect. His work helped establish Neoclassical architecture in Portugal and colonial Brazil. Costa e Silva studied architecture in Rome, where he had contact with Italia ...

(1747–1819) a Portuguese

neoclassical architect Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

* Dr José Tomás de Sousa Martins (1843 in Alhandra – 1897) a doctor, worked for the poor *

Reynaldo dos Santos Reynaldo dos Santos (3 December 1880 – 6 May 1970) was a Portuguese physician, writer, and art historian. As a physician, he was a pioneer in the fields of vascular surgery and urology; as an art historian, he published numerous works on 15th ...

(1880 in Rua das Varinas – 1970) a physician, writer, and art historian. * Alves Redol (1911–1969) a Portuguese neorealist writer. * Octávio Pato (1925–1999) PCP activist and candidate in the 1976 presidential election *

Ivone Dias Lourenço Ivone Dias Lourenço was a Portuguese communist and an opponent of the '' Estado Novo'' regime in Portugal. She spent almost seven years as a political prisoner. A report of her imprisonment in a British newspaper led to her being indirectly conn ...

(1937-2008) an opponent of Estado Novo Govt. & political prisoner * Lili Caneças (born 1944) a Portuguese socialite. * Ana Cristina Silva (born 1964) a Portuguese psychologist, academic and prize-winning novelist. * Paulo Brissos (born 1970) a Portuguese rock, blues, pop and

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

singer. * Núria Madruga (born 1980) a Portuguese actress and model. *

Leonor Teles Leonor Teles (or Teles de Meneses; ) was queen consort of Portugal by marriage to King Ferdinand I, and one of the protagonists, along with her brothers and her daughter Beatrice, of the events that led to the succession crisis of 1383–1385 ...

(born 1992) a Portuguese filmmaker. Leonor Teles, IMDb Database
retrieved 05 July 2021. *

Wet Bed Gang Wet Bed Gang is a Portuguese rap and hip hop tuga group from Vialonga. The group was formed in 2014 by João "La Bella Mafia" Rossi and Pizzy. The group consists of four Portuguese singers and rappers with the stage names Gson, Zara G, Kroa an ...

(formed 2011 in Vialonga) a Portuguese rap and

hip hop tuga Portuguese hip hop (''Hip hop português''), more commonly called hip hop tuga ("tuga" here being a slang for "Portuguese"), is the Portuguese variety of hip hop music. It differs from mainstream hip hop because it has strong influences from A ...

group

Sport

* José Carlos (born 1941) a former footballer with 299 club caps and 36 for

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 ...

Bruno Patacas Bruno Alexandre dos Santos Patacas (born 30 November 1977) is a Portuguese retired professional footballer who played as a right-back. After starting his career with Sporting CP, he went on to represent other clubs before settling with Nacional, ...

(born 1977) a Portuguese retired footballer with 343 club caps * Nélson Veríssimo (born 1977) a Portuguese former footballer with 426 club caps and manager * Pedro Torrão (born 1977) a Portuguese retired footballer with 312 club caps * Helena Costa (born 1978 in Alhandra) a Portuguese football manager. * Diogo Santos (born 1984) a Portuguese footballer with over 400 club caps * Vera Barbosa (born 1989) a track and field athlete, competed at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

* Tiago Gomes (born 1985) a Portuguese footballer with over 350 club caps * Ana Catarina (born 1992) a Portuguese futsal goalkeeper *

Rafa Silva Rafa is a masculine given name, mostly as a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Rafael. It may refer to: People * Rafael Nadal (born 1986), Spanish tennis player * Rafa (footballer, born 1985), Spanish footballer Rafael López Gómez * Rafael Ben� ...

(born 1993) a Portuguese footballer with over 240 club caps and 23 for

References

External links

*
Photos from Vila Franca de Xira
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vila Franca De Xira Municipality Cities in Portugal Municipalities of Lisbon District