Santarém (altitude: 108m/354ft), capital of the old province of Ribatejo, is a town of low whitewashed houses built on a hill above the right bank of the Tagus, occupying a position of great strategic importance. The town is worth visiting for its interesting churches and the splendid views from here over the Tagus. Santarém is the center of an important agricultural region growing mainly corn, fruit and vegetables. An important agricultural fair (Feira Nacional de Agricultura) is held here in early June each year. It interests tourists because of the accompanying folklore program and the bullfights.
History
In Roman times, as Iulianum Scalabitanum, the town ranked with Braga and Beja as one of the main trading posts in Lusitania. During the Moorish period (8th-12th C.) it was fortified by a castle. After its recapture by Afonso Henriques in 1147 Santarém became the residence of several kings. Here in 1319 King Dinis received the papal bull recognising the order of the Knights of Christ which he had founded.
Igreja do Seminário displays a Baroque facade created by Baltasar Álvares. The main highlights of the interior are the painted ceiling and the high altar.
Several hundred yards farther southeast of the Torre das Cabaças is the Portas do Sol, where a park and a terrace were laid out on the site of a Moorish castle at the end of the 19th C., affording magnificent views over the Tagus valley, spanned at this point by the Ponte Dom Luís, built between 1876 and 1881 and 1,200m/1,312yd long.
Alpiarça, 7km/4.25mi northeast of Almeirim, has a museum well worth a visit in the Casa dos Patudos, the country house that belonged to the Portuguese statesman and art lover José Relvas (1858-1929). The collection contains notable works by many European painters, tapestries (17th-19th C.), porcelain and faience.
Address: Alpiarça Tourist Office, Rua José Relvas 374, Alpiarça , Portugal
The walk continues from the Igreja da Graça back to the Igreja de Marvila and then right to the Archeological Museum, housed in the Romanesque and Gothic church of Sao Joao de Alporao. Apart from the fine stellar vaulting in the choir, and the many sculptures, ceramics and azulejos, it is worth looking at the Gothic cenotaph of Duarte, son of Pedro I, who fell in the battle of Alcácer-Kibir (Morocco) in 1458. One of his teeth was all that was brought back to Portugal!
Hours:
9am-12:30pm, 2pm-5:30pm; Closed: Mon
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Anniversity of the Revolution - Portugal (April 25), May Day / Labor Day (May 1), National Day - Portugal (June 10), Assumption Day - Christian (August 15), Republic Day - Portugal (October 5), All Saints' Day - Christian (November 1), Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8), Independence Day - Portugal (December 1), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Good Friday - Christian, Corpus Christi - Christian
The Capela de Nossa Senhora da Piedade is opposite the Igreja do Seminário. It was founded by Afonso VI in 1665 in thanksgiving for his victory over Juan de Austria, commander of the Spanish army.
From the Praça de Sá da Bandeira the Rua Serpa Pinto runs southeast to the Marvila church which has a fine Manueline doorway (16th C.) and polychrome azulejo decoration (17th C.).
Address: Igreja de Marvila, Largo de Marvila 2000-090 Santarém, , Portugal
Northeast of the Jardim da República, just outside the old town, stands the Gothic church of Santa Clara (13th C.), belonging to a convent founded by Queen Leonor. The queen's mortal remains were brought here in 1634 and rest in a tomb decorated with her coat of arms. A sarcophagus from the first half of the 14th C. which was intended for the queen remains empty. The Gothic fountain, the Fonte das Figueiras, is just south of the Igreja de Santa Clara, while the Sao Bento viewpoint is about 500yd to the east.
Address: Igreja de Santa Clara, Av. Gago Coutinho e Sacadura Cabral 2005-021 Santarém, , Portugal
The Jardim da República, the fine park in the north of the town, is a good starting point for a walk round Santarém. On the east side of the park is the Convento de Sao Francisco, founded as a Franciscan convent in the mid13th C., now a barracks but still with its original cloister. North of the Jardim da República is the 18th C. town hall, while the covered market on the west has a facade with azulejo pictures of the local sights and rural motifs.
The National Agricultural Fair is recognized throughout Spain for it's horse races, bull fights, and night time bull running. The fair runs for ten days at the beginning of June.
The Torre das Cabaças, Santarém's great landmark, is opposite the archeological museum. Probably a minaret originally, the tower has soundboxes around the bell to heighten the resonance.
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Igreja da Graça
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Almeirim, Portugal
