Vidigueira (
or ) is a town and a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the
District of Beja
The Beja District () is located in southern Portugal. The district capital is the city of Beja. It is the largest district of the country by area, and constitutes around 11% of its area.
Municipalities
The district is composed of 14 municipali ...
in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 5,932, in an area of 316.61 km
2.
[Áreas das freguesias, concelhos, distritos e país]
/ref>
The present Mayor is Manuel Rosa Narra, elected by the Unitary Democratic Coalition
The Unitary Democratic Coalition ( pt, CDU – Coligação Democrática Unitária, PCP–PEV) is an electoral and political coalition between the Portuguese Communist Party ( pt, Partido Comunista Português or PCP) and the Ecologist Party "The G ...
. The municipal holiday is Ascension Day
The Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus Christ, also called Ascension Day, Ascension Thursday, or sometimes Holy Thursday, commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into heaven. It is one of the ecumenical (i.e., shared b ...
. The archaeological site of the Roman Ruins of Villa Áulica and Convent of São Cucufate
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 letter ...
are situated near Vidigueira.
Parishes
Administratively, the municipality is divided into 4 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 ...
''):
* Pedrógão
* Selmes
* Vidigueira
* Vila de Frades
Notable people
* Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (; ; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea.
His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link E ...
(c.1460s – 1524) the Portuguese navigator, was made Count of Vidigueira
Count of Vidigueira (in Portuguese ''Conde da Vidigueira'') was a Portuguese comital title of nobility awarded by King Manuel I of Portugal to Dom Vasco da Gama, who discovered the maritime route from Europe to India. The title was created by a r ...
by King Manuel I Manuel I may refer to:
*Manuel I Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (1143–1180)
*Manuel I of Trebizond, Emperor of Trebizond (1228–1263)
*Manuel I of Portugal
Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), was ...
on the return from his discovery of the maritime route from Europe to India
* Achilles Statius
Achilles Statius (or Aquiles Estaço) (12 June 1524, Vidigueira – 17 September 1581) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese Humanism, humanist and writer, since 1555 living in Rome, where he was a secretary of the pope. Achilles Statius is now mo ...
(1524 in Vidigueira – 1581) humanist poet and commentator
* Forebears of radical Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza
Baruch (de) Spinoza (born Bento de Espinosa; later as an author and a correspondent ''Benedictus de Spinoza'', anglicized to ''Benedict de Spinoza''; 24 November 1632 – 21 February 1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish origin, b ...
(1662-1677) lived in Vidigueira since at least the 16th century, before escaping from the Portuguese Inquisition
The Portuguese Inquisition ( Portuguese: ''Inquisição Portuguesa''), officially known as the General Council of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in Portugal, was formally established in Portugal in 1536 at the request of its king, John III. ...
to the Dutch Republic
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...
. A number of them were employed in service to the counts of Vidigueira.[ Israel, Jonathan I., ''Spinoza, Life & Legacy''. Oxford: Oxford University Press 2023, 82-88]
See also
*Vidigueira DOC Vidigueira () is a Portuguese wine region centered on the Vidigueira municipality in the Alentejo region. The region was initially an '' Indicação de Proveniencia Regulamentada'' (IPR) region, then elevated to '' Denominação de Origem Controla ...
References
External links
Town Hall official website
Towns in Portugal
Populated places in Beja District
Municipalities of Beja District
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