São Mamede 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 the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the municipality of Batalha, part of the Central Region and the

Região de Leiria The Comunidade Intermunicipal da Região de Leiria (; English: ''Leiria Region'') is an administrative division in western Portugal. It was created in 2014, replacing the former ''Associação de Municípios da Região de Leiria'' created in 2009 ...

intermunicipal community of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. It had a population of 3,560 in 2011 in an area of .

History

The civil parish was created on 15 June 1916 by dismemberment of the parish of

Reguengo do Fetal Reguengo, the name attributed to villages who were royal property in Portugal, may refer to several parishes: *Reguenga, a parish in the municipality of Santo Tirso *Reguengo (Portalegre), Reguengo, a parish in the municipality of Portalegre, Portu ...

by law of president

Bernardino Machado Bernardino Luíz Machado Guimarães (March 28, 1851April 29, 1944) was the 3th and 8th president of Portugal, serving from 1915 to 1917 and again from 1925 to 1926. In 1917, Sidónio Pais, who was at the head of a military junta, dissolved Co ...

Geography

São Mamede is located 15 km east of the municipality seat, facing the municipalities of

Leiria Leiria () is a city and municipality in the Central Region, Portugal, Central Region of Portugal. It is the 2nd largest city in that same region, after Coimbra, with a municipality population of 128,640 (as of 2021) in an area of . It is the seat o ...

Porto de Mós Porto de Mós () is a town and a municipality of Estremadura province in Leiria District. It is in the Centro Region and the Pinhal Litoral subregion. The population in 2011 was 24,342, in an area of 261.83 km2. There were archeologic findings ...

Ourém Ourém (, ), formerly known as Vila Nova de Ourém, is a municipality in the district of Santarém in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 45,932, in an area of 416.68 km2. The municipality of Ourém contains two cities: Ourém (about 12,000 ...

and the parish of Reguengo do Fetal ( Batalha), and has an approximate area of .

Geology

The parish is located on the São Mamede Plateau, a large compact limestone mass part of the Estremadura Limestone Massif and the Serras de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park. This massif gives the parish a

Karst topography Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

, characterized by steep slope valleys,

sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are also known as shakeholes, and to openings where surface water ...

s, uvalas,

pit cave A pit cave, shaft cave or vertical cave—or often simply called a pit (in the US) and pothole or pot (in the UK); jama in Slavic languages scientific and colloquial vocabulary (borrowed since early research in the Western Balkan Dinaric Alpin ...

s and other multiple caves. The caves of São Mamede are not only strong tourist attractions, but also constitute a historical and patrimonial legacy of recognized worldwide value.

Demographics

In the 60s and early 70s a large flux of

emigration Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

drastically reduced the population. The current population is estimated to be around 3,513.

Economy

Though a predominantly rural parish, São Mamede has seen a considerable development in the recent years. The current economic expression of São Mamede is based on the manufacturing and extractive industries and the civil construction sector, with agricultural activity carried out by a minority or carried out on a part-time basis. Religious and cultural tourism also plays an essential role in the local economy, benefiting São Mamede from a strategic location (axis:

Batalha Monastery The Monastery of Batalha () is a Dominican convent in the municipality of Batalha, historical Beira Litoral province, in the Centro of Portugal. Originally, and officially, known as the ''Monastery of Saint Mary of the Victory'' (), it was erec ...

- Fátima Sanctuary), as well as other resources of great interest such as gastronomy, handicrafts and a whole range of other services such as diversified historical, architectural, artistic and cultural heritage, which constitutes a tourist potential duly noted in the various tourist routes in the region of Leiria and Fátima.

Villages

*Barreira de Água *Barreiro Grande *Barreirinho Velho *Casais de São Mamede *Casal do Meio *Casal dos Lobos *Casal Suão *Casal Velho *Casal do Gil *Casal Vieira *Covão da Carvalha *Covão do Espinheiro *Crespos *Demó *Lagoa Ruiva *Lapa Furada *Milheirices *Moita de Ervo *Moita do Martinho *Perulheira *Pessegueiro *Portela das Cruzes / Pia do Urso *São Mamede *Vale da Seta *Vale de Barreiras *Vale de Ourém *Vale Sobreiro

Places of interest

* Gruta da Moeda * Pia do Urso * Santo António Chappel (built in the 18th century)

References

{{Reflist Parishes of Batalha, Portugal