Evora

Places of Interest - Portugal

introduction

Evora is one of the best preserved medieval cities of Portugal. Within the 14th century city walls you will find a maze of streets, alleys and squares that lead you to equally interesting and very diverse sights. There are medieval monasteries, churches and cathedrals as well as Roman temples, baths and even an aqueduct.

In the Middle Ages stood on the central city square (which is still there) a gallow to make "heretics" go to heaven with a good feeling during the "Inquisition". In addition to an impressive history, Evora is a center full of beautiful buildings, the city has also an intense student life which is almost absorbed by the crowds of tourists who appear here. Outside the city you can visit the mystical "monoliths" or a wine farm.

highlights

The inner city:

The center of the inner city is formed by the oval shaped square called "Praca do Giraldo". This is surrounded by cream-colored Medieval buildings and cheered up by a beautiful authentic fountain. It was here that during the "inquisition" many known heretics were burned.

Other well-known buildings from the center are the Cathedral of Evora (built between 1186 and 1204) and the monastery of Loios (14th century). The town of Evora also has a number of Roman remains that are very worthwhile; First, there are the Roman baths (Termas Romanas) that can be seen in the basement of the town hall. In addition, on the Largo do Conde de Vila Flor square the very impressive Roman temple of Evora (also called templo de Diana) with its Corinthian columns.

Finally, there is perhaps the most notorious and famous landmark of the city and that is the San Francisco church with its chapel with (human) bones (see below). The historic center of the city was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986.

Cromeleque dos Alemendres:

At about 15 kilometers from the city Evora lies the mythical place with the difficult name of Cromeleque dos Alemendres. First you will have to reach the site via a sandy road full of bumps. Once there you arrive at this magical site where a large number of monoliths are set up in a large U shape.

In total there are 95 monoliths in this area on a descending hill. They seem to have been brought here in different periods for astronomical purposes. It looks a bit like the Stonehenge stones in England though here it is much less crowded with tourists. A few kilometers away in the field is the largest hidden away - the 4 meter large Menir dos Almendres.

history

The Celts were the first to build a settement what we now call Evora - they called it "Ebora". When the Romans arrived in 59 BC they made the city a military post. As with other Portuguese cities, Evora also fell into decline when the Visigoths succeeded the Romans as new leaders.

The Moors would give new impetus to the city. In the centuries that followed, the city fell from the muslims into the hands of the Christians. The Portuguese warlord Geraldo Geraldes "without fear" took the city finally over during a surprise attack in September 1165, after which Évora was “given” in 1166 to King Afonso I. The period between the 14th and 16th centuries was the golden age for Evora. In 1559 a Jesuit university was founded. When the crown disappeared to Spain after 1580, the cake was up.

The French would totally destroy the city during their invasion of Portugal in 1808 and kill the defenders. Ironically, the decline of the city has also been the "salvation" of many Medieval architecture. Today, fewer people live in the city than in their heyday.

tips & advice (2011)

The train station of Evora is located some 500 meters outside the center while the bus station is only 150 meters west of the city center.

Evora - Cromeleque: first you have to go to the city of Valverde (2.10 euro) but after that there is no public transport and you have to hitchhike.

Evora - Peniche: you will first have to go back to Lisbon (train or bus - 1.5 to 2 hours - 13.75 euros). There you can take a bus to Peniche which takes about 2 hours (from Lisbon).

Name: Igreja de Sao Fransisco and Capela dos Ossos

Price: 2 euros

Time: 09:00 - 12:50 and 14:30 - 17:40

Content:

This is the most famous church of Evora. The church itself is beautiful but the attraction is the illustrious chapel of bones. The chapel is built of about 5000 human bones and is lugubrious as artistic at the same time. Pillars, the ceiling, walls - everything is built with bones by a very high precision.

Monks built this chapel in the 17th century as a memory/remembrance of the death. Two skeletons hang from the walls of bones.

Name: Camping Parque de Campismo

Address: southwest of the center

Price: 7.50 euros (tent + person)

Phone nr. : 266 705190

Website: www.orbitur.pt

Content:

This excellent campsite is about 2 to 3 km outside the center of Evora (10 minutes by bus 41). It has a large swimming pool, a real WIFI loft and some picnic tables. Friendly staff and the bus stop is in front of the campsite entrance.

Many international tourists stay here. They have good hot showers and some sinks and washbasins to wash your clothes. The ground is hard to put pecks in during the summer. Nearby is a large supermarket.