Discover Portimão
CULTURAL TOURS Portimão . Alvor . Mexilhoeira Grande This new edition of “Cultural Tours” aims to showcase an updated version of the built and natural heritage of the municipality of Portimão. Three parishes, Portimão, Alvor and Mexilhoeira Grande come together to form the municipality, which encompasses 183 square kilometres of river, sea and countryside.
In addition to the beach and the sun, Portimão provides a vast variety of things to see and do, made unique by the area’s heritage and ancestral culture. No matter the time of year, you are hereby invited to embark on this journey into the past, through the historical and architectural attractions of the municipality of Portimão.
Portimão, Alvor and Mexilhoeira Grande - where history comes together, building springboards that propel us into the future. Happy adventuring! INDEX
1. ROUTE 1
2. ROUTE 2
3. ROUTE 3
Mexilhœira Grande
1. ROUTE 1
Alvor
1. ROUTE 1
2. ROUTE 2
3. ROUTE 3 Alvor Walks between the Lagoon and the Sea!
ROUTE 1 - ON THE RIVERSIDE
It came from far away, from the edge of fear But it was blue and gentle as it approached, and it murmured
“Iberian Pœms”, Miguel Torga
Look out onto the Lagoon from the viewpoint
Head to the square ROUTE 2 - MANUELINE TRACES
Across seas never before sailed.
through wars
allowed for (…)
Mother Church of Alvor or Church of the Divine Saviour ROUTE 3 - ISLAMIC ALVOR
“At the break of dawn sleep and clutch your perfume close But when night falls, allow it to unfurl and exalt it.”
Pedro and São João marabouts
The Marabout of São Pedro ABREU PALACE COURTYARD
MILITARY ARCHITECTURE | ALVOR CASTLE
SOME TIPS FOR YOUR TRIP
• • • • • •
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ROUTE 1 - BY THE RIVER
the Arade River basin, swelling out until
mountain range positioned as its
pyramid-shaped village called Ferragudo”.
The
The
The Museum has since taken Marinha Marina (which can be between the city and the Praia da Rocha Marina.
Located on the banks of the
been maintained and its -
ROUTE 2 - THE WALLED CITY AND MANUELINE TRACES
But what we long to recall
We’ll go through them one and all…”
This church bears the name of Our Lady of Conception, to which festivities that take place on the 8th December are also dedicated. narrow streets that seem to whisper tales and legends to those who wander through them, Portimão has proved itself to be a walled city with a vibrant history. The settlement dates back to 1463, the year in which 40 residents asked King Afonso V of Portugal for permission to found a village, which they would name São Lourenço da Barrosa. It was this village that would go on to become Vila Nova de Portimão. Between 1467 and 1475, the town began to develop around the Mother Church. In 1476, Gonçalo de Castelo Branco was given the settlement by royal decree, which also meant he was duty-bound to continue the construction of the church and surrounding walls. It was thus that the conclusion of the Portimão city walls was requested in the courts of Évora (1475) and Montemor-o-Novo (1477), as the settlement could only be considered a town once it was completely enclosed. As a result, Donatario Gonçalo Vaz ordered the completion of the walls
Once the walls were completed, four doors led into the town: Guarda (the Guard’s door), Ribeira (the Riverside door), São João’s door and the Porta da Serra (mountain door), as well as three archways: Santa Isabel, Igreja (Church) and Fumeiros (smokehouse) archways. It is also a well-known fact that the Gonçalo Vaz’s coat of arms has been placed over every door and archway in the town. The Mother Church was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake. The walls were severely damaged, and many of the stones used to rebuild houses. and take
Make your way around the perimeter of the Church
Rua do Arco Maravilhas
da Serra
dates back to the 16th
Heading towards River the way to
The Riverside Door
St. Isabel’s Archway
The “Maritime Commitment”
Guarda
MANUELINE TRACES
been found within the ruins of the Church of the Convent of São Francisco ROUTE 3 - URBAN LANDSCAPES
are to be proclaimed? (…)”
Álvaro de Campos
Walk towards Alameda da Praça da República (Republic Square Avenue)
Alameda da República (Republic Avenue) Go down Rua Vasco da Gama (Vasco da Gama Road) to Praça 1º de
Sárrea Garfias Palace | Largo 1º de Dezembro
house
Bring your visit to an end as you reach the Arade River Mexilhoeira Grande Making our way inland!
ROUTE 1 - MANUELINE TRACES
the sea But it is the sea that mirrors the sky.”
towards the parish of Mexilhœira Grande
At the Mother Church or Church of Our Lady of the Assumption,
visible in the church’s architecture.
“new worlds to the world” ATP 2020 - EN