Estremoz () is a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 14,318,Instituto Nacional de Estatística
/ref> in an area of 513.80 km². The city Estremoz itself had a population of 7,682 in 2001. It is located in the

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 ...

region.

History

The region around Estremoz has been inhabited since pre-historic times. There are also vestiges of Roman, Visigoth and

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

occupation. During the Reconquista, Estremoz was captured in the 12th century by the army of knight

Geraldo Sem Pavor The city of Évora honours Gerald with a place on its coat-of-arms. The central plaza, the Praça do Giraldo, is also named after him. Geraldo Geraldes or Gerald the Fearless (died prob. 1173), known in Portuguese as Geraldo ''Sem Pavor'' ("wit ...

(''Gerald the Fearless''), who had also conquered neighbouring Évora. However, Estremoz was soon retaken by the Moors and only in the mid-13th century was it reconquered by the Portuguese King Sancho II. An important strategic site between the Kingdoms of Portugal and Castile, Estremoz received a charter ( fuero) in 1258 from Afonso III after the Moors were driven out a second time, which promoted Christian colonization in the area. King

Dinis Denis (, ; 9 October 1261 – 7 January 1325 in Santarém), called the Farmer King (''Rei Lavrador'') and the Poet King (''Rei Poeta''), was King of Portugal. The eldest son of Afonso III of Portugal by his second wife, Beatrice of Castile, an ...

rebuilt the castle as a royal palace, further promoting the area. His widow, Dowager 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 ...

, died in Estremoz castle on July 4, 1336, shortly after mediating a peace treaty between her son

Alfonso IV of Portugal Afonso IVEnglish: ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', or ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese), ''Alfonso'' or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin). (; 8 February 129128 May 1357), called the Brave ( pt, o Bravo, links=no), was King ...

and grandson

Alfonso XI of Castile Alfonso XI (13 August 131126 March 1350), called the Avenger (''el Justiciero''), was King of Castile and León. He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes en ...

. Her grandson

Pedro I of Portugal Peter I (Portuguese: ''Pedro I'', ; 8 April 1320 – 18 January 1367), called the Just (''o Justiceiro'') or the Cruel (''o Cruel''), was King of Portugal from 1357 until his death. He was the third but only surviving son of Afonso IV of Portuga ...

died in the Franciscan monastery at Estremoz in 1367. During the 1383–1385 Crisis, Nuno Álvares Pereira established his headquarters in Estremoz, then defeated the Castilian forces at the Battle of Atoleiros. 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), ...

(1640–1668), Portuguese forces (including from Estremoz) defeated the Castilians in the nearby and decisive Battles of Ameixial (1663) and Montes Claros (1665).

Geography

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 9 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 ...

''): * Ameixial (Santa Vitória e São Bento) * Arcos * Estremoz (Santa Maria e Santo André) * Évora Monte (Santa Maria) * Glória * São Bento do Cortiço e Santo Estêvão * São Domingos de Ana Loura * São Lourenço de Mamporcão e São Bento de Ana Loura * Veiros

Economy

Together with the two other marble towns, Borba and

Vila Viçosa Vila Viçosa () is a town and a municipality in the District of Évora, Alentejo in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 8,319, in an area of 194.86 km². The municipal holiday is August 16. Parishes Administratively, the municipality is d ...

, Estremoz is internationally known for its fine to medium marble that occurs in several colours: white, cream, pink, grey or black and streaks with any combination of these colours. Especially the pink marble (Rosa Aurora and Estremoz Pink) is in high demand. This marble has been used 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 ...

as a material for sculpture and architecture. The first exports in Roman times were probably for the construction of the Circus Maximus of Emerita Augusta, in modern-day Spain. The Portuguese navigators exported this marble to Africa, India and Brazil. The marble from this region was used in famed locations such as the

Monastery of Jerónimos A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which m ...

, the Monastery of Batalha, the Monastery of Alcobaça and the

Tower of Belém A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

. There is so much marble around Estremoz that it is used everywhere; even the doorsteps, pavements and the cobble stones are made out of marble. This marble is even converted into whitewash for painting the houses. Portugal is the second largest exporter of marble in the world, surpassed only by Italy ( Carrara marble). About 85% of this marble (over 370,000 tons) is produced around Estremoz. In the quarries marble blocks are cut from the rock with a diamond wire saw, a durable steel cable with a series of circular diamond beads. The initial conduit for the wire is made by drilling a horizontal hole and a vertical hole of which the ends meet exactly inside the rock. The wire saw may need a day to cut through the marble. The Estremoz marble has been designated by the

International Union of Geological Sciences The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) is an international non-governmental organization devoted to international cooperation in the field of geology. About The IUGS was founded in 1961 and is a Scientific Union member of the Inte ...

as a Global Heritage Stone Resource.

Architecture

Archaeological

* Atalaia das Casas Novas/Atalaia da Frandina

Civic

* Café Aguias d'Ouro ( pt, Edifício no Rossio do Marquês de Pombal, 27/Café Águias d' Ouro) * Estremoz Caixa Geral dos Depósitos ( pt, Edifício da Caixa Geral de Depósitos, CGD, de Estremoz) * Estremoz Postal, Telegraph and Telephones (CTT) ( pt, Building Edifício dos Correios, Telégrafos e Telefones, CTT, de Estremoz) * Jailhouse of Estremoz ( pt, Cadeia de Estremoz) * Municipal Palace/Hall of Evoramonte ( pt, Câmara Municipal e Cadeia de Évora Monte/Paços do Concelho de Evoramonte) * Municipal Palace/Hall of Estremoz ( pt, Casa do Alcaide-mor/Câmara Municipal de Estremoz) * National Tuberculosos Assistance Dispensary ( pt, Dispensário da Assistência Nacional aos Tuberculosos, IANT, de Estremoz)

Military

Castle of Estremoz The Castle of Estremoz ( pt, Castelo de Estremoz) is a medieval castle in the civil parish of Santa Maria de Devassa, municipality of Estremoz, Portuguese district of Évora. It is classified as a National Monument. Estremoz Estremoz Est ...

( pt, Castelo de Estremoz/Pousada Rainha Santa Isabel) * Castle of Evoramonte ( pt, Castelo de Evoramonte ou Évora Monte/Castelo e cerca urbana de Evoramonte) * Castle of Vieros ( pt, Castelo de Veiros/Castelo e cerca urbana de Veiros)

Religious

* Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Conceição ( pt, Capela de Nossa Senhora da Conceição) * Chapel of Nossa Senhora dos Mártires ( pt, Capela de Nossa Senhora dos Mártires) * Chapel of Santa Margarida ( pt, Capela de Santa Margarida) * Convent of the Congregation ( pt, Convento dos Congregados/Câmara Municipal de Estremoz/Biblioteca Municipal de Estremoz/Museu de Arte Sacra de Estremoz) * Convent of Santo António ( pt, Estremoz Convento de Santo António de Estremoz) * Convent of São Francisco ( pt, Convento de São Francisco de Estremoz) * Cross of the Misericórdia ( pt, Cruzeiro da Misericórdia de Estremoz) * Cross of São Francisco ( pt, Cruzeiro de São Francisco de Estremoz) * Hermitage of Nossa Senhora da Conceição ( pt, Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Conceição)

Notable people

* Etienne de Brito (1567–1641) a Roman Catholic prelate,

Archbishop of Cranganore The Archdiocese of Cranganore or Cranganor and Angamaly was a latinised Syriac Padroado Archdiocese in Kodungallur, Kerala, India.

and Titular Bishop of Salona * Francisco de Melo (1597–1651) a Portuguese nobleman who served as a Spanish general. *

João de Sousa Carvalho João de Sousa Carvalho (22 February 1745c. 1798) was the foremost Portuguese composer of his generation. Born in Estremoz, he studied music from 1753 at the Colégio dos Santos Reis in Vila Viçosa, then from 1761 at the Conservatório di San ...

(1745– c.1798) the foremost Portuguese composer of his generation. *

António de Spínola António Sebastião Ribeiro de Spínola (generally referred to as António de Spínola, ;This surname, however, was not accompanied by the grammatical nobiliary particle "de". 11 April 1910 – 13 August 1996) was a Portuguese military off ...

(1910–1996) a Portuguese military officer, author and conservative politician *

Rita Rato Rita Rato Araújo Fonseca (born 5 January 1983, in Estremoz) is a Portuguese politician, who was a member of the Assembly of the Republic from 2009 to 2019. She has a bachelor's degree in Political Science and International Relations from th ...

(born 1983) a Portuguese politician and director of the Cadeia do Aljube museum * Paulo Sérgio (born 1968) a Portuguese retired footballer with 331 club caps

References

External links

*
Official websitePhotos from Estremoz
{{authority control Municipalities of Portugal Cities in Portugal