Vila Viçosa () is a town and a municipality in the District of Évora,

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 ...

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 th ...

. The population in 2011 was 8,319, in an area of 194.86 km².Áreas das freguesias, concelhos, distritos e país
/ref> The municipal holiday is August 16.

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into four 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 ...

''): * Bencatel * Ciladas * Nossa Senhora da Conceição e São Bartolomeu * Pardais

History

The area of Vila Viçosa has been inhabited since

Antiquity Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to: Historical objects or periods Artifacts *Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures Eras Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...

, and it was the site of a small settlement in

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 lett ...

times. The region was part of the Visigoth Kingdom and in the eighth century came under Moorish control after the Muslim conquest of Hispania. Moorish domination ended in 1217, when the region was reconquered by the

Order of Aviz The Military Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz ( pt, Ordem Militar de São Bento de Avis, ), previously to 1910 ''Royal Military Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz'' ( pt, Real Ordem Militar de São Bento de Avis), previously to 1789 ''Knights'' (of ...

, a military order of knighthood that reclaimed large parts of Southern Portugal to the Christians. The order promoted the settlement of Christians in the area during the 13th century. In 1270, King Afonso III granted a ''

foral 200px, Foral of Castro Verde - Portugal The word ''foral'' ({{IPA-pt, fuˈɾaɫ, eu, plural: ''forais'') is a noun derived from the Portuguese word ''foro'', ultimately from Latin ''forum'', equivalent to Spanish ''fuero'', Galician '' foro'', ...

'' (letter of feudal rights) to the incipient village of Vila Viçosa. In the early 14th century, King Dinis I built a castle in the village, to protect it from potential Castilian incursions. In 1461, Vila Viçosa came to the hands of the

House of Braganza The Most Serene House of Braganza ( pt, Sereníssima Casa de Bragança), also known as the Brigantine Dynasty (''Dinastia Brigantina''), is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese origin which reigned in Europe and the Am ...

, one of the most important houses of nobility of Portugal. This event was crucial in the history of the village, which became the main base of the Dukes of Braganza in the next centuries. The Dukes had considerable wealth and greatly promoted the economic, urban and artistic development of the village. In 1502 the building of the

Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa The Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa ( pt, Paço Ducal de Vila Viçosa) is a royal palace in Portugal, located in the civil parish of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, in the municipality of Vila Viçosa, in the Alentejo, situated about 150 km (93 ...

was begun, sponsored by

Jaime Jaime is a common Spanish and Portuguese male given name for Jacob (name), James (name), Jamie, or Jacques. In Occitania Jacobus became ''Jacome'' and later ''Jacme''. In east Spain, ''Jacme'' became ''Jaime'', in Aragon it became ''Chaime'', and ...

, fourth Duke of Braganza. Jaime was a skilled military leader who later led the Portuguese to victory against a Moorish army in the

Battle of Azamor The Battle of Azemmour took place in Morocco, on 28 and 29 August 1513 between the Portuguese Empire and the Moroccan Wattasid dynasty. Azemmour, dependent on the King of Fes, even enjoying of great autonomy, paid vassalage to the king Joã ...

, in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...

. The Ducal Palace was greatly remodelled between the 16th and 17th centuries in a sober late

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

(

Mannerist Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Ita ...

) style, and was decorated through the centuries by several artists. The Dukes also sponsored artistic campaigns in several churches and monasteries in the village. When Duke John became King John IV, in 1640, the House of Braganza moved to the 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. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

, and many of the riches of the Ducal Palace were transferred to the Ribeira Palace. Vila Viçosa became a vacation spot for the members of the Braganza family. This marks the beginning of a period of decay for Vila Viçosa.

Climate

Economy

In the 20th century the industries of marble extraction and tourism became the main income sources of the municipality. Agricultural goods are also still important for its economy. Marble extraction and processing are responsible for around 93% of jobs in the municipality. Since the early 2000s,the displacement of material production outside Europe and the decreasing demand for natural stone have weakened local marble industries, starting an inexorable process of urban shrinking and depopulation.

Population

Notable citizens

* Martim Afonso de Sousa (c.1500 – 1564) a Portuguese ''fidalgo'', explorer and Royal Governor of Brazil *

Henrique Henriques Henrique Henriques (also known as Anrique Anriquez) (1520–1600) was a Portuguese Jesuit priest and missionary who spent most of his life in missionary activities in South India. After his initial years in Goa he moved to Tamil Nadu where he mast ...

(1520–1600) a Portuguese Jesuit priest and missionary in

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union terr ...

. *

Públia Hortênsia de Castro Públia Hortênsia de Castro (1548–1595) was a scholar and humanist in the court of Catherine of Austria, Queen of Portugal. Born in 1548 in Vila Viçosa, Portugal, she was named for Hortensia, the famous Roman orator and daughter of Quint ...

(1548–1595) a scholar and humanist in the court of

Catherine of Austria, Queen of Portugal Catherine of Austria ( pt, Catarina; 14 January 1507 – 12 February 1578) was Queen of Portugal as wife of King John III, and regent during the minority of her grandson, King Sebastian, from 1557 until 1562. Early life An Infanta of Castile ...

* Teodósio II, 7th Duke of Braganza (1568–1630) a Portuguese nobleman, father of John IV of Portugal * King John IV of Portugal (1604–1656), first

King of Portugal This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution. Through the ...

from the

. * Teodósio, Prince of Brazil (1634–1653) the heir-apparent son of John IV of Portugal and 10th Duke of Braganza * Joana, Princess of Beira (1635–1653) a Portuguese princess, daughter of John IV of Portugal *

Catherine of Braganza Catherine of Braganza ( pt, Catarina de Bragança; 25 November 1638 – 31 December 1705) was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland during her marriage to King Charles II, which lasted from 21 May 1662 until his death on 6 February 1685. She ...

(1638–1705) wife of

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest surviving child o ...

* Henrique Pousão (1859-1884) a Portuguese naturalist painter * Florbela Espanca (1894–1930) a Portuguese poet of passionate and feminist poetry * Bento de Jesus Caraça (1901–1948) a Portuguese mathematician, economist and statistician. *

Paulo Portas Paulo de Sacadura Cabral Portas (born 12 September 1962, ) is a Portuguese media and political figure, who has, since the 1990s, been one of Portugal's leading conservative politicians. He was the leader of one of Portugal's right-wing parties, t ...

(born 1962) a leading conservative politician, brought up in Vila Viçosa * Diego da Conceição de Araújo (1549–1597), auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Goa

Gallery

Image:Castelo Vila Vicosa1.jpg, The medieval castle with the town below. Image:Vila Viçosa Paços do Concelho.jpg, 18th century Town Hall. File:Vila Viçosa September 2013-7a.jpg, Agostinhos Church, convent and pantheom of the dukes of Braganza File:Vila Viçosa September 2013-4.jpg, Chagas Convent and pantheom of the duchesses of Braganza File:Porte des noeuds porta de nos (392867569).jpg, The Door of the Knots File:Vila Vicosa, Portugal (27208064107).jpg, Old Ducal Palace courtyard

References

External links

*
Town Hall official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vila Vicosa Municipality Municipalities of Évora District