[
S.Marcos da Serra, Silves, S.Bartolomeu
de Messines, Alcantarillha, Armação de Pêra,
Pêra, Algoz, Tunes ]
The Dark red of mighty castle
walls that loom over the city
and the surrounding countryside.
The interplay of stone and light
in the architecture of a gothic
church and vestiges of the Moorish
presence in the city's history.
Streets of white houses that reflect the sun and the blue sky. Here lies
the appeal of Silves, where the past merges with the present to make
every visit an enduring memory.
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The presence of man during the Paleolithic period is confirmed by one
archaeological site. The whole of the area of what is now Silves municipality
was however inhabited the Neolithic period and the Bronze and Iron Ages,
a fact borne out by numerous archaeological finds. Particularly impressive
are the abundant megalithic monuments - menhirs - carved out of the region's
red sandstone and limestone.
The Arade river since time has been the route to the interior favoured
by the vessels of the Mediterranean peoples - Phoenicians, Greeks and
Carthaginians - who were drawn to the region by copper and iron mined
in the Western Algarve. This much is evident form the archaeological
site at Cerro da Rocha Branca - unfortunately destroyed - about half
a mile away from Silves, which was inhabited from the end of the Bronze
Age onwards. In the 4th century B.C. Silves boasted a strong defensive
wall and in the ensuing centuries both the Romans and the Moors occupied
it.
Silves owes its existence to the navigability of the Arade River and
to its strategic position atop a hill tat dominates a broad swathe of
countryside. It was possibly founded during the period of the Roman rule,
but it was with the Moorish evasion, which began around 714/716 that
Silves became a prosperous city. By the 11th century it was the capital
of the Algarve and according to some authors surpassed Lisbon in size
and importance. At this time Silves was also a centre of culture, home
to poets, chroniclers and lawmakers.
The religious and political tremors that rocked the Moslem world in the
11th and 12th centuries were felt in Silves too, where they manifested
themselves in frequent changes of ruler and sieges and struggles that
pitted rival factions against each other. King Sancho I took advantage
of the internal division to lay siege to the city in 1189. Crusaders
from Northern Europe who were on their way to the Holy Land aided his
army. The fight for Silves was long and cruel and according to chronicles
of the time, many of its inhabitants perished, killed by hunger and thirst
or slaughtered when the crusaders sacked the town. But Portuguese rule
was initially short-lived and in 1191 the Moors recaptured the city.
Despite having lost many of its inhabitants and much of its wealth, Silves
was elevated to the status of Episcopal see and headquarters of the military
government after the definitive conquest of the city in the context of
the Christian occupation of the Algarve 1242 to 1249 which was concluded
in the reign of King Afonso III. The centuries that followed were a difficult
time for Silves. With the sundering of its former links with North Africa
and the gradual silting up of the river it found itself sidelined from
the lucrative maritime trade. As a consequence its economic, political
and military influence dwindled, with places like Lagos, Portimão
and Faro grew in importance.
Natural catastrophes like the plague, earthquakes and fevers caused by
the swamp that formed where the Arade had once flowed also contributed
to the town's decline.
The coup de grace came in 1534, with a papal bull allowing the transfer
of the Episcopal see to Faro, a possibility that only became a reality
years later. Silves was never to recover its past splendor and for almost
three centuries it was a city inhabited by only a few remaining citizens.
But in the second half of the 19th century dried fruit and, above all,
cork breathed new life into the city, which became one of the main processing
centre for those products. Today Silves is a town proud of its past,
at the heart of a municipality with a thriving and increasingly diverse
economy.
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Built out of the region's fine
red sandstone, possibly on the site of the old mosque,
itwas begun in the second half of the 13th century
or at the beginning of the 14th. Work continued into
the middle of the 15th century after part of the
structure collapsed. A number of architectural alterations
were made in the 18th century.
The main façade
is dominated by he gothic doorway spanned by a backdrop
which ends in a veranda held up by corbels with gargoyles.
The only other elements surviving from the original
building are the circular window and the two buttresses,
as the rest of the façade and the towers are
baroque. Also of note on the exterior of the cathedral
is the big ogival window with four small columns
next to the steps and the fine ensemble that makes
up the high altar of the church. The interior consists
of three naves, with plain pillars and ogival arches.
The beauty of the transept and the apse makes them
a good example of gothic art.
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Recesses with a
ribbed vault flank the main chapel. On the main altar
is a statue I jasper of the Our Lady with the Infant
Jesus. On the floor are headstones, one of which
denotes the former resting place of King João
II (1455-1495), which died in Alvor and whose remains
were later transferred to the monastery at Batalha.
There are side chapels of the Santíssimo -
Most Holy and Nosso Senhor dos Passos - Our Lord
of the Stations of the Cross containing statues from
the 18th century. Next to the main entrance is the
doorway to the gothic chapel of João do Rego,
situated under the bell tower, which contains two
tombs under monumental thrones excavated on the walls.
The artistic heritage of the Old Cathedral includes
two large paintings depicting São José and
Santa Barbara - 18th century, the renaissance retable
from the 16th century in one of the side chapels
and the marble tombs of João Gramaxo (1516)
and the a bishop, with relief of a crosier.
This building dates from the 16th century and its Manueline origins
are apparent from a highly decorated side doorway, positioned above
ground level, which was possible, the former entrance to he church.
The main façade has a portico of classical design. The interior
consists of a single nave. The main chapel has a ribbed vault and a
Renaissance retable with paintings from a later period. The church
has a collection of mercy banners that are still used in processions.
Located outside the old city walls, it was built initially in the 12th
century to receive the remains of the Portuguese soldiers and crusaders
who died during the first campaign to conquer Silves. It was rebuilt
in the 16th century and again later in the 18th. The main façade
is in the baroque style while the denticulate decoration in the main
chapel belongs to the Manueline period (16th century). The main chapel
has a painted vault finished with Crosses of Christ and religious and
military symbols. There is a 16th century retable. The chapel also
contains two carved and gilded retables originally from the Cathedral
(18th Century).
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A symbol of municipal power, this stone monument has been rebuilt from
16th century remains. Commonly found in towers elsewhere in Portugal,
it is only such structure in the whole of the Algarve.
Located next to the old road that used to constitute the link with
the north and with the kingdom of Portugal (whence perhaps it takes
its name) the exact date of its construction is not known (15th century
or beginning of the 16th century). It is one o the most beautiful crosses
in Portugal and has on one side a representation of the crucifixion
and on the other the Mater Dolorosa. The base dates from 1824.
The biggest castle in the Algarve and the most beautiful military monument
to the Islamic period in Portugal, it has its origins in the ramparts
built around the town during the Moorish occupation, probably on the
site of late Roman or Visigothic fortifications from the 4th/5th centuries.
Its eleven towers, two of which are barbicans- joined to the ramparts
by a supporting arch that holds up the walk way and thick walls enclose
and area of approximately 12,000m2. Two towers defend the double entrance
gateway and the opening of the "traitors gate" in the north facing
walls still remains. Four of the towers which were modified at the
time of reconstruction work carried out in the 14th or 15th century,
have gothic doorways, vaulted halls and stones bearing the marks of
medieval masons. The castle once sheltered the old Moorish "alcáçova",
immortalized as the "Palace of varandas" in poetry of the time. Remnants
of the "alcáçova" which was the residence of the lord
of the city and its dignitaries have been found in the course of boring
work at the site. The castle itself contains a deep well - approximately
60m - a large water tank with four vaults supported by tall columns,
and spacious underground silos that were used to store grain. Its towers
and ramparts afford magnificent views over the surrounding countryside.
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According to a description
left by a crusader who took part
in the conquest of Silves, the
town's defenses consisted in
addition to the castle, of three
lines of ramparts. All that remains
of these defensive walls are
a few stretches built of red
sandstone and "taipa" - a mix
of clay, rubble, sand and lime-
and a number of towers which
once protected the residential
area, "Almedina" of Silves. A
little more that 1km in length,
they encircled an area of seven
hectares. O the four gates to
the Almedina all that remains
is the Torreão da Porta
da Cidade (the turret of the
City Gate). This consists of
a barbican, built in the 12th
or 13th century, which gives
access, by way of two corridors,
to the city. Inside the tower
are two rooms and annexes which
was for centuries the home of
the Municipal Council and which
since 1983 have housed the Municipal
Library. The Tower is entered
by way of an external stairway
built at a later date and two
high walkways, which are original.
Dating back to the medieval period, until only a few years ago it was
this structure that connected Silves to the coast.
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With its back to a section of at the city ramparts, this building contains
a well tank of Moorish origin (11 century) dressed with stone and "taipa",
that is 18m deep and 2.5m across. Steps lead in a spiral down to the
bottom. The well was blocked up in the 16th century and the house,
which now contains the museum, was built over it. The museum's collections
include archaeological finds from throughout the municipality, including
a particularly interesting collection of Moorish ceramics from digs
conducted at the castle. Silves and the Voyages of Discovery.
Silves played a role in the first phase of the discoveries, the daring
voyages of exploration inspired and orchestrated by Prince Henry, the
Navigator (1394-1460), who established the Algarve as a centre of maritime
know-how. A certain Diogo of Silves made the first voyage of reconnaissance
to the islands of the Azores. João de Rego, knight of the Household
of Prince Henry, and Gatão da Ilha, whose name is linked with
the settling of the island of Madeira, are buried in the Old Cathedral.
And a bishop of Silves funded a caravel to explore the African coast.
Yet by making the ports of the Algarve coast the focus of political
and economic power, the discoveries ultimately contributed to Silves
decline.
For thousands of years boats from the Atlantic and Mediterranean alike
have sailed up and down the river and to follow their route down to
the sea is to take a trip though time. The journey begins in Silves,
the rounds the old peninsula on which once stood the factory and fortress
of Cerro da Rocha Branca. Further downstream are the remains of a medieval
lookout tower and, on Rosário Island, vestiges of the Roman
presence. It was on this stretch of the river that the crusaders landed
their boats when they captured Silves for the first time. Before that,
in 966, a Viking fleet, which had come intent on plunder, was surrounded
and partially destroyed on the same spot. Continuing downstream you
reach Portimão and the sea, and the fortifications that defended
the bar at the mouth of the River.
Situated in a long, fertile valley, some of São Bartolomeu's
streets, namely Rua do Remexido, which is spanned by an arch; retain
the charm of a typical Algarve town. The Poet João de Deus (1830-1896),
whose reader " Cartilha Maternal" was widely used to teach reading
and writing at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century,
was born here. Plaques indicate the two houses in which he lived.
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The original church was built in the 16th century in a transitional
style between Manueline and Renaissance. To this was added at the beginning
of the 18th century a baroque façade, which makes a powerful
visual impact thanks to the contrast between the white walls and the
stone work in red sandstone, set off by the spacious church yard and
the pillared entrance which is reached by a flight of steps. The interior
is made up of three naves with round arches supported by Solomonic
pillars. The triumphal arch of the main chapel has non-twisted triple
columns. The retable is carved and gilded (18th century). The two collateral
chapels have rimmed Manueline vaults, while the arches of the side
chapels proper already show the influence of the later Renaissance
style. There are fine gilded and carved retables (18th century) and
bas-relief polychrome pediments, with their markedly baroque decoration,
are worthy of particular attention. At the town of the side naves are
two panels of 17th century polychrome tiles depicting the Euracharist
and Nossa Senhora da Conceição. Also dating from the
17th century are the tile that cover the inner sides of the threes
side altars.
The elegant pulpit with its stone staircase is made of local marble
and is a small a small masterpiece of baroque workmanship (beginning
of the 18th century). Other objects in the church, including the table
and basin in the sacristy and the font, are fashioned of the same marble.
The Church also boasts a fine collection of 16th to 18th century statues,
pride of place in which goes to pieces dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
A number of small rural chapels known as "ermidas" or hermitages, evoke
the holy figures who were the objects of religious devotion in the
past, São Sebastião and, on the low hills that surround,
Santa Ana, São Pedro and Nossa Senhora da Saúde, on one
of the walls of which is a cross made up of 17th century tiles.
The area around São Bartolomeu de Messines is rich in traces
f the past. Prominent among these are menhirs which bear witness to
the Algarve's thriving Megalithic community in the 4th to 3rd millennia
B.C. The menhir at Monte de Alfarrobeira was converted into a decorated
stele during the Bonze Age, While the Cerro da Vilarinha, Gregórios
and Abutiais menhirs have since toppled over. The Rocha sanctuary,
in Vale Fuseiros, which consists of small hollows carved in the rock
over a distance of almost 100 metres dates from the same period.
Verdant orange, fig and almond trees surround this village, which still
retains a few old houses with prettily decorated chimneys and modest
whitewashed hermitages.
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Displaying the architectural simplicity of the 18th century on the
outside,this church has within it a number of art treasures, ranging
from the 17th century tiles that cover the walls and ceiling of the
baptistery and some of the walls to great artistic effect and the gilded
carved retable in the "rocaille" style that adorns the Capela do Santíssimo,
to the retables on the two collateral altars (18th century) and the
statues, which include two processional representations of Christ dressed
in a kilt.
This building belonged to the old mutual association, which would support
its members with help in the form of loans. The entrance was possible
built using stonework from the 16th century. In addition to a plaque
bearing the date 1704, the façade has a decorative circular
window and a cross-made with patterned polychrome tiles (18th century).
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Situed on top of the hill, this country chapel is a good place from
which to view the surrounding landscape. The small altar achieves a
striking harmony between the carved retable, the pediment and the tiles.
There is also a triumphal arch with decorative paintings depicting
the Stations of the Cross (18th century).
With its whitewashed walls, Alcantarilha's church dominates a village
of modest houses scattered prettily across the hillside.
Main Church
All that remains of the original 16th century structure is the Manueline
main chapel, to which an 18th century carved gilded retable has since
been added. The baptismal chapel has a tiled ashlar (17th century)
and in the sacristy is a fine chest above which there is a niche decorated
with acanthus leaves (18th Century). Adjoining the church is a grisly
Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones), its walls and ceiling clad with
approximately 1,500 skulls.
Unremarkable from the outside, inside this church, the statue and retable
on the altar are worth seeing, as they are the banners used in processions
(18th century)
Medieval in origin, the castle was built to defend the population of
Alcatarilha and the surrounding villages from marauding Moorish pirates.
Rebuilt in the 16th/17th centuries, it now stands in ruins.
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Was for centuries
a fishing village, a focal point for fishermen attracted
by the abundance of fish, especially sardines and
tuna, which was salted and sold in the south and
in the centre of Portugal. To defend the settlement
against raids from pirates and corsairs, a small
fort was built in the 17th century at the initiative
of a prosperous boat-owner. One of the walls of this
old fortification, with a doorway, and above it the
royal coat of arms, still stands on a slight elevation
overlooking the sea. The chapel inside, which is
dedicated to Santo Antonio, dates from the same period.
Theses days, the fishermen's nets are still to be
seen on Praia dos Pescadores or Fisherman's beach.
But it is to the tourists who come for its broad
sands and warm waters the Armação de
Pêra now owes its lively, cosmopolitan atmosphere.
In the streets around Pêra's church many of the houses are typically
Algarvean in appearance, with whitewashed walls and coloured borders.
Main Church- The outside is of little architectural interest. The carved
and gilded woodwork of the retables in the main chapel, the side chapels
and the chapels of Nossa Senhora do Rosário and Sagrado Coração
de Jesus are representative of art in the Algarve during the 18th century.
The side walls of the main chapel are decorated with tiles depicting
the four evangelists framed with baroque moldings, while the dome spots
tiles representing different figures (18th Century). There are several
statues dating from the same period.
The Church's holy treasures include
vestments and finely crafted
silver monstrance. The churchyard
affords excellent views of the
surrounding fields and the sea.
Third Order of St Francisco.
The modest architecture of the
façade
conceals a main chapel whose fine design is evident in its columns
and tabernacle (beginning of the 18th century. From a later period
and in the "rocaille" style are the decoration on the walls and ceiling
and the carving on the canopy over the tribune. The Church also contains
paintings by the Algarvean artist Rasquinho (18th/19th centuries).
