Montemor o Velho Attractions
The little town of Montemor o Velho (Altitude: 51m/167ft), about halfway between Figueira da Foz and Coimbra, on a hill above the right bank of the Mondego, was of importance during the Middle Ages as an outpost defending the approach to Coimbra against the Moors advancing from Estremadura. The local economy is mainly given over to agriculture, with rice the main crop. Montemor o Velho is the birthplace of the navigator Cavaleiro Diogo de Azambuja (1432-1518), the writer and world traveler Fernao Mendes Pinto (c. 1510-83), and the poet Jorge de Montemor (1520-61).
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Castelo
The ruins of the medieval castle stand high above the town, dominating the townscape.
Nossa Senhora dos Anjos
In the romantic little town itself is the noteworthy Manueline church of Nossa Senhora dos Anjos (Our Lady of the Angels), originally a monastic church. The real treasure lies in the spacious interior which holds Renaissance sculpture of the Coimbra school, including the magnificent sarcophagus of Diogo de Azambuja, carved during his lifetime by Diogo Pires o Moço.
