Belver is a Portuguese

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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

of Gavião, district of Portalegre. The population in 2011 was 684,Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE)
Census 2011 results according to the 2013 administrative division of Portugal in an area of 69.84 km². It is situated along the northern bank of the

Tagus River The Tagus ( ; ; ) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales between Cuenca and Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally westward, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon. Name T ...

History

On 13 June 1194, the region of Belver was donated by King

Sancho I of Portugal Sancho I (born ; Coimbra, 11 November 115426 March 1211) also referred to as Sancho the Populator (), was King of Portugal from 1185 until his death in 1211. He was the second king of Portugal. Sancho was the second but only surviving legitimat ...

to the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...

, with the condition that the knights were required to build a castle in the site. Between 1383 and 1385, Belver aligned itself with the forces of

Leonor Telles de Menezes Leonor Teles (or Teles de Meneses; ) was queen consort of Portugal by marriage to King Ferdinand I, and regent of Portugal. She was one of the protagonists, along with her brothers and her daughter Beatrice, of the events that led to the su ...

against the Master of Avis. In the 16th century, the parochial church was constructed. On 18 May 1518, King

Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate (), was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portugal, as monarch. Manu ...

conceded a

foral 200px, Foral of Castro Verde - Portugal The ''Carta de Foral'', or simply ''Foral'', was a royal document in Portugal and its former empire, whose purpose was to establish a ''concelho'' (Council) and regulate its administration, borders and priv ...

(''charter'') to Belver. In the 17th century, the village was surveyed by Pedro Nunes Tinoco, and determined to be under the authority of the Priory of Crato. In 1836, the municipality of Belver was extinguished and the region was integrated into the municipality of

Mação Mação () is a municipality in the Santarém District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 7,338, in an area of 399.98 km². The present Mayor is Vasco António Mendonça Sequeira Estrela, elected by the Social Democratic Party. The muni ...

. This remained in effect until the end of the century, when in 1898 it was integrated into the municipality of Gavião. In 1905 a bridge was completed over the ''Ribeira de Belver''.

Geography

Belver is the northernmost civil parish of the municipality, and the only on the northern margin of the Tagus River (the remaining parishes of Gavião are on lands south of the Tagus). It is bordered by Gavião and Atalaia parishes (in the south), while surrounded by the parishes of Envendos, Mação and Ortiga (in the neighbouring municipality of

) to the northeast, north and northwest, respectively. It is located from the urban centre of Gavião along the left margin of the Tagus. The parish is situated in river valley, from the right margin of the

, along the confluence of the ''Ribeira de Belver''. Its highest elevation is occupied by the hilltop surmounted by the Castle of Belver, while the urban area is above sea level. Surrounding these hilltops are several olive orchards. It is accessible by rail-link (the Beira Baixa railway), with its stop in the city centre. Alternatively, the main access is along the A23/IP6/E806 motorway (''Auto-Estrada da Beira-Interior''), passing through the northern part of the parish, then south to the Tagus basin.

Architecture

Archaeological

* Dolmen of Penedo Gordo ()

Civic

* Belver Dam () * Domingos da Vinha Museum () * Old Fountain (Degracia) ()

Military

* Castle of Belver ()

Religious

* Chapel of São Brás () * Church of Nossa Senhora da Visitação () * Hermitage of Nossa Senhora do Pilar ()

References

;Notes ;Sources * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Belver (Gaviao) Freguesias of Gavião, Portugal