Avis Attractions
Avis, 24km/15mi west of Fronteira, is now an unprepossessing little country town, but it has a famous history. It first became important in 1211, when Afonso II moved here the military order known as the "Freires de Évora" (also the first order of knights in Europe) which had been formed by Afonso Henriques in 1147 as a defense against the Moors. The splendor and influence of the order of "Sao Bento de Aviz" lasted until the late 18th C. As a result of the crowning of the Grand Master of Avis as King Jao I of Portugal in 1385 Avis became the cradle of a royal dynasty which controlled the country's fortunes until 1580 and under its victorious rule, especially during the reigns of Joao II and Manuel I, brought Portugal to its peak and made it the world's major sea faring nation.
Of the simple wall built in 1214 around the knights' castle only one gateway, the keep (restored in the 15th C.) and two further towers now remain. In the church of the order (restored in the 17th C.) there are several 15th C. tombs as well as a valuable gilded reliquary.
Of the simple wall built in 1214 around the knights' castle only one gateway, the keep (restored in the 15th C.) and two further towers now remain. In the church of the order (restored in the 17th C.) there are several 15th C. tombs as well as a valuable gilded reliquary.
