Alcobaça, Portugal

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Alcobaça [ aɫkubasɐ ] is a city in Portugal with 5699 inhabitants (as at 30 June 2011). It is located in the subregion Oeste and belongs to the historic province of Extremadura ( now administratively Centro ).

Although about 10 km from the Atlantic Ocean lying, the Alcoa River flows through the city only in height from a few meters above sea level, still in the early middle ages ranged the sea as a lagoon Pederneira to the gates at Alcobaca Fervença. The city has an area of ​​3.1 km ². Alcobaça is the seat of the homonymous district ( Municipio de Alcobaça ) with 56 569 inhabitants and an area of 408.1 km ², extending between the Atlantic and up to 613 m high mountains of Serra de Candeeiros. This area corresponds with the area enclosed by it neighboring district Nazaré ( 82.4 km ² ), and parts of the south bordered circle Caldas da Rainha the historic donation of the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques to the Cistercian abbot Bernard of Clairvaux in 1153, from the the Royal Abbey of Alcobaça with the Couto de Alcobaça have emerged as their worldly dominion.

Alcobaça received the modern city law ( as Cidade ) in 1995. The old town is dominated by the Monastery (Mosteiro de Alcobaça ), which was incorporated in 1989 in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a fort. It was remodeled in the years 2004-2007 wholly consistent with a limited traffic zone, also the monastery courtyard was re-created according to historical documents. On the road to Aljubarrota is the National Wine Museum ( 1968).

• 2.1 circle
• 2.2 Demographics
• 2.3 Local holiday
• 2.4 Town twinning

History

Etymology

The origin of the name is disputed. In Roman times, the settlement was probably the name Helcobatiae that should have been changed after the conquest by the Moors in Al cobaxa. An opinion now derives the name of concurring in Alcobaça rivers Alcoa and Baca Al - cobaxa, while the other keeps the rivers for the namesake.

Early and Roman times

In the area of Alcobaça, there are already evidence of settlement in the Bronze Age. During the Roman period the settlement was called Helcobatiae and belonged to the province of Hispania Ulterior, after the reform of the Emperor Augustus the province of Lusitania on, there the sub-province Scalabis, today Santarém. The area of Alcobaça was crossed by a Roman road that linked the lying there among other Roman cities Colipo (São Sebatião do Freixo at Leiria), Araducta (probably today Alfeizerão ) and Eburobritium ( at Óbidos ).

Monastery of Alcobaça

In Alcobaça is the Mosteiro de Alcobaça one of the largest, most famous and oldest monasteries in the country ( World Heritage Site). It was the seat of the Real Abadia de Alcobaça ( Royal Abbey of Alcobaça ), also known as Autonomous Cistercian Congregation of Saint Bernard of Alcobaça board all Portuguese Cistercian monasteries from 1567. The park dates back to 1153, when Portugal's first king, Afonso Henriques, the Order of Cistercians, the 500 km ² area later monastery, which had been recovered from the hands of the Moors gave. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), abbot of the Cistercian monastery at Clairvaux main and one of the most influential clerics of his time had him in his disputes with Alfonso VII of Castile Leao and because of the one-sided declared Portugal's independence and self- coronation of Alfonso Henriques as king probably procured from Portugal in 1139 the support of the Pope, especially from 1145 to 1153 with Eugene III. first a Cistercian sat on the papal throne. The papal bull for the recognition of Portugal, now by Alexander III. adopted but had to wait until 1179 to be.

With the construction of the monastery was in 1178 started and ended in 1240 with its first section ( first church and cloister ). Due to the particular initially taking place from Burgundy strong influx of friars, the plant was constantly updated, so among other things, with three other cloisters ( which, in addition to the first of 1178, there are two preserved). Even in 1755, the library was created, its time one of the largest in Portugal before 1834, after the monks had left the monastery in the previous year, due to government arrangement Alcobaça as all other monasteries had to close in Portugal.

Castle of Alcobaça

West and 70 meters above the monastery are the ruins of the Castelo de Alcobaça, a Moorish fortress, already Visigothic according disagree ( Visigothic ) origin. The Moors had brought them together with the castles of Leiria, Santarem and Alfeizeirão probably as a front line between the rivers Tagus and Mondego served. It was heavily destroyed in the 12th century with the Reconquista, so it was rebuilt by King Afonso Henriques 1147 and especially by his successor, King Sancho I ( 1154-1211 ). In the following years they served mainly to protect the monks before the incident over and over again Moors, as in the years 1184 and 1195, when the monastery under construction was heavily damaged. 1422 the Castle was badly damaged in an earthquake, but rebuilt. In the earthquake of Lisbon in 1755, it was again heavily damaged. 1838 ordered the Queen Mary II (Portugal ) to raze the castle and the county began the stones to sell, which were used in many civil buildings of that time. The outer walls were 1952/53, partly restored.

Churches

About 400 meters north on the other side of the river Alcoa is the church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, which dates back to the built in 1153 provisional monastery, the Abadia Velha. One of the monastery erected directly opposite the church in 1648, Igreja Nova, which served as parish church of Alcobaça, was torn down in 1915 to make a new museum intend to Theatre Square. To this end, it did not come, the post office building was built there instead with a telegraph office. Before the parish was also a whipping post ( Pelourinho ), the sign of the jurisdiction of the abbey, which was also demolished.

Couto de Alcobaça

From the monastery in Alcobaça from him the donated land was taken and settled cultivation in the following centuries. So most of the other towns of the county emerged from founded by the monks Meier yards, which still bear witness to churches and pillories ( pelourinhos, poor sinner columns). In this way the secular dominion of the abbey, Couto de Alcobaça was created, which included besides Alcobaça another 13 cities. The monks operated next to the wine still nut and olive growing, fruit growing later, Alcobaça what is known today, and in the landward lagoons salt pans for salt extraction. In Alfeizerão, located less than 5 km today inland from the lagoon of São Martinho do Porto, as well as in Pederneira, now a part of Nazaré, and Paredes da Vitória, the monastery possessed in the Middle Ages own ports.

Management

Circle

Alcobaça is the seat of the homonymous district, the Municipio de Alcobaça. The circle ( concelho ) of Alcobaça belongs to the district of Leiria. On 30 June 2011 the county had 56 569 inhabitants in an area of 408.1 km ². Alcobaça is also the seat of a court of first instance.

The neighboring districts are in the north Marinha Grande, to the east Leiria, Porto de Mos, Santarém and Rio Maior, southeast Caldas da Rainha and the west encloses Alcobaça Nazaré and is bordered on both sides of the Atlantic.

The following municipalities ( Freguesias ) in this circuit:

• Alcobaça
• Alfeizerão
• Alpedriz
• Bárrio
• Benedita
• Cela
• Coz
• Évora de Alcobaça
• Maiorga

• Martingança
• Montes
• Pataias
• Prazeres de Aljubarrota
• Sao Martinho do Porto
• São Vicente de Aljubarrota
• Turquel
• Vestiaria
• Vimeiro

Demographics

Local holiday

• August 20

Twinning

• France France: Aubergenville
• United States United States: Chicopee (Massachusetts )
• Angola Angola: Cacuaco

Economy

Alcobaça and the region are known for orchards and for its ceramic and glass production, however, experienced a sharp decline since the end of the last century. Importance of tourism next to the town of Alcobaça especially for the to the Atlantic Ocean situated parts of the circle.

Environment

Since the beginning of the new century, the circle Alcobaça we dubbed Terra da Paixão risen, which means land of passion or the passion. This happened probably wait to get to the first thing in their eyes, alluding to the love story between King Pedro I and Inês de Castro, both of which rest in the transept of the abbey church of the Monastery of Alcobaça opposing sarcophagi and their resurrection at the last day. seen In fact, the land is but dominated for centuries by a passionate devotion to Mary. Long within a less than 35 km from the Atlantic Ocean to the east extending corridor are four important sites dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Just 18 km north of Alcobaça is the Mosteiro da Batalha another significant Marie convent of the Dominicans, the King João I, after the victorious battle of Aljubarrota of 1385, which is named after just 6 km from Alcobaça remote eponymous town Aljubarrota, for Thanks to the St. Mary donated since Portugal so successfully fend off the handle of Castile by the Portuguese crown.

In Aljubarrota testifies to the local battle also a monument of a baker with a bread blade, with which she is said to have slain the legend, seven Spanish soldiers.

14 km east of Batalha is the Sanctuary of Fatima, to have half a year occurred in the 1917 apparitions. After Fatima pilgrimage since then millions of people, including two popes, Pope John Paul II even three times. The bullet that had penetrated in the attack of 13 May 1981 in his abdomen, was taken in a crown, which carries the statue of Our Lady of Fátima now.

10 km west of Alcobaça is the fishing port and tourist town of Nazaré, in the district of Sitio is 110 m high above the sea on a rocky outcrop, the most important over the centuries until the beginning of the 20th century Portuguese pilgrimage O Fátima Nossa Senhora da Nazaré ( sanctuary of our loved ones woman of Nazareth ) is located. The church dates back in its present form from the 17th century, but going to a church from the 14th century and a chapel from the 12th/13th. Century. In her accessible through a stage even for believers main altar is the supposedly oldest statue of the West kept, A Sagrada Imagem de Nossa Senhora da Nazaré ( The holy image of Our Lady of Nazareth ).

Sons and daughters of the town

• António Brandão (1584-1637), Cistercian monk and historian
• António Brandão (1620-1681), Archbishop of Goa
• Eugénio dos Santos (1711-1760), military engineer and architect, particularly in the reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake, including the Lisbon Undercity
• Fortunato de São Boaventura (1777-1844), Archbishop of Évora
• José Eduardo Raposo de Magalhães (1844-1942), Engineer
• Manuel Vieira Natividade (1860-1918), archaeologist
• Virgínia Vitorino (1895-1967), poet and playwright
• Gonçalo Byrne ( born 1941 ), architect
• Alberto Bernardes Costa ( born 1947 ), lawyer and socialist politician, several times Minister
• Valdemar José Correia Barbosa Rodrigues (born 1965 ), environmental scientist, university teacher and writer
• John Gonçalves ( born 1974 ), musician, bassist and keyboardist of the band The Gift
• Miguel Ribeiro ( b. 1975 ), musician, guitarist and founding member of the band The Gift
• Sónia Tavares ( born 1977 ), musician, singer of the band The Gift and Hoje

Goncalo Byrne

Prof. José Valdemar C. B. Rodrigues

Sónia Tavares at a gig with The Gift