Melgaço, Portugal
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Melgaço () is a municipality in the district of
Viana do Castelo Viana do Castelo () is a concelho, municipality and seat of the district of Viana do Castelo District, Viana do Castelo in the Norte Region, Portugal, Norte Region of Portugal. The population in 2021 was 85,778, in an area of . The urbanized are ...
in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 9,213,Instituto Nacional de Estatística
/ref> in an area of 238.25 km2. It is the northernmost municipality in Portugal. The present Mayor is Manoel Batista, elected by 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 ...
. The municipal holiday is
Ascension Day The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ (also called the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Ascension Day, Ascension Thursday, or sometimes Holy Thursday) commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. It ...
. Melgaço is certified by the EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations program.


History

Parada do Monte, Gave and the plateau of Castro Laboreiro were locations of many megalithic burial mounds and graves that suggest the presence of human settlement in the mountains of the region. Alongside is the hilltop castle, that stood firm during the Galician-Leonese battles. Over the streams they built bridges in solid masonry, while dozens of fishing villages sprung from the banks of the River Minho, in addition to the Romanesque convents, churches and chapels, some of which are quite Romanesque. Oral tradition suggest that the castle of Melgaço was constructed during the reign of King D.
Afonso Henriques Dom Afonso IOr 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 influence ...
, around 1170. It was this monarch that conceded to Melgaço the first forum letter, between 1183 and 1185, that was later confirmed by King D.
Afonso Afonso is the Portuguese and Galician form of Alphons. Middle Ages Iberian royal families ;Portugal *Afonso I of Portugal (1109–1185) *Afonso II of Portugal (1185–1223) *Afonso III of Portugal (1210–1279) *Afonso IV of Portugal (1291†...
in 1219, and replaced by 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'') issued by King D.
Afonso III Alfonso III (Spanish) or Afonso III (Portuguese) may refer to: *Alfonso III of Asturias (866–910), surnamed "the Great" *Afonso III of Portugal (1210–1279) *Alfonso III of Aragon (1285–1291) *Alfonso III d'Este, Duke of Modena Alfonso III ...
, in 1258. The existence of a forum letter suggests that some settlement existed on the site. The hilltop of Melgaço, overlooking the Minho River, was strategically located enroute to Galicia, in addition to terrestrial commercial routes. In the neighbourhood were the protectorates of two great monasteries, in Fiães and Paderne. The small burg required further protection from Leonese forces, resulting in the construction of a larger structure, on a site that would later be erected the keep tower. It was during the reign of King D. Sancho II that the town began to be encircled by a defensive fortification. Its need was already evident in the reign of King D. Afonso II, during the politico-military battles that were motivated by the monarch's struggles with his sisters. Between 1211 and 1212, the north of Portugal was invaded by Leonese forces, justifying the construction of the wall, which was already under construction by 1245, with the help of local initiatives and the convent of Fiães.


Geography

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 13
civil parishes In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishe ...
: * Alvaredo *
Castro Laboreiro e Lamas de Mouro Castro Laboreiro e Lamas de Mouro is a civil parish in the municipality of Melgaço, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes Castro Laboreiro Castro Laboreiro is a village and a former Freguesia (Portugal), civil pari ...
*
Chaviães e Paços Chaviães e Paços is a 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 ...
*
Cousso Cousso is a Portuguese ''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 jurisd ...
* Cristoval * Fiães *
Gave GAVE may refer to: * Gave (Melgaço), a parish in Portugal * Gave (placename element), a French word meaning ''torrential river'' in the west Pyrenees * Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE), a medical condition * Gabinete de Avaliação Educacio ...
*
Paderne Paderne may refer to: ;In Portugal :*Paderne, Albufeira, a parish in the municipality of Albufeira :*Paderne (Melgaço), a Portuguese parish, located in the municipality of Melgaço :*Castle of Paderne, a 12th-century fortification located in the c ...
* Parada do Monte e Cubalhão * Penso *
Prado e Remoães Prado e Remoães is a civil parish in the municipality of Melgaço, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish nation ...
* São Paio *
Vila e Roussas Vila e Roussas is a 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 ...


Climate


Architecture


Civic

* Bridge of Cava da Velha () *
Cinema Museum of Melgaço Cinema may refer to: Film * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ** Filmmaking, the process of making a film * Movie theate ...
, established by French film critic
Jean-Loup Passek Jean-Loup Passek (29 July 1936 – 4 December 2016) was a French film critic. He was the director of cinematic collections at the Centre Georges Pompidou, and the author of several books about cinema. Early life Jean-Loup Passek was born on 29 J ...
* Fountain of São João () * Settlement of Laboreiro () * Thermal Spa of Peso ()


Military

* Castle of Castro Laboreiro () * Castle of Melgaço ()


Religious

* Church of the Divino Salvador de Paderne () * Church of Santo André () * Church of São Martinho ()


References


External links


Melgaço Photographs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melgaco, Portugal