Location: Oeste Subregion Map
Óbidos is a Portuguese village, in the district of Leiria,
located in the province of Estremadura, integrating the
Intermunicipal Community of the West in the Center region, with
about 2,200 inhabitants.
The village is the seat of the
municipality of Óbidos with an area of 141.55 km² and 11,924
inhabitants (2021), subdivided into 7 parishes. The municipality is
limited to the northeast and east by the municipality of Caldas da
Rainha, to the south by Bombarral, to the southwest by Lourinhã, to
the west by Peniche and to the northwest it has a coast on the
Atlantic Ocean.
In 2007 the Castle of Óbidos was declared by
the competition the Seven Wonders of Portugal the second of the
seven most important monuments of the Portuguese architectural
heritage.
On December 11, 2015, UNESCO considered Óbidos a
literary city, as part of the Creative Cities Network program.
The village is located north of Lisbon (88 km via the A8) and
southwest of Coimbra (138 km via the A1 / A8).
"Óbidos" derives from the Latin term ópido, meaning «citadel», «fortified city». Nearby stands the Roman village of Eburobrício.
It was taken from the Moors in 1148, and received the first charter
in 1195, under the reign of D. Sancho I. Óbidos was part of the dowry of
numerous queens of Portugal, namely D. Urraca of Castile (wife of D.
Afonso II), Queen Santa Isabel (wife of D. Dinis), d. Filipa de
Lencastre (wife of D. João I), D. Leonor de Aragão (wife of D. Duarte),
D. Leonor de Avis (wife of D. João II), among others.
In 1527,
161 inhabitants lived in the village, which would correspond to about
1/10 of the population of the municipality.
It was from Óbidos
that the municipality of Caldas da Rainha was born, formerly called
Caldas de Óbidos (the change in the determinant was due to the seasons
spent there by Queen Leonor).
On February 16, 2007, Óbidos castle
received the candidate's diploma as one of the seven wonders of
Portugal.
In 2015, the Walls of Vila de Óbidos were part of the
"Maravilhas de Portugal" project, an initiative of the
Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage and the multinational Google
that allows a 360-degree view of 57 monuments available online from
Google or Google Maps pages.
Óbidos has already accustomed
visitors to its transformation around Christmas time. In recent years,
the well-known village has become "Vila Natal", a mystical place that
enchants kids and adults alike for the beauty and fun it provides for
everyone. In addition to "Vila Natal", Óbidos has other events such as
the Medieval Fair, where the castle returns to its medieval origins and
where you can experience what it was like to live at that time. The
Chocolate Festival is also an event that arouses a lot of interest in
tourists, at this festival you can see life-size chocolate sculptures,
children can participate in workshops and make their own chocolates.
Since 1996, the Association of International Music Courses (ACIM)
organizes the Óbidos International Piano Week (SIPO) which includes a
Master class with national and foreign interpreters and piano teachers
such as Josep Colom, in addition to a diversified concert program.
More recently, Óbidos promotes annually the event FOLIO –
International Literary Festival of Óbidos, an event focused on literary
and musical culture.
Óbidos Castle is located in the parish of Santa Maria, São Pedro and
Sobral da Lagoa, village and municipality of Óbidos, in the district of
Leiria, in Portugal.
Óbidos Castle has been classified as a
National Monument since 1910.
History
background
It is
believed that the primitive human occupation of its site dates back to
prehistory. Due to its proximity to the Atlantic coast, it aroused the
interest of invading peoples from the Iberian Peninsula, having been
successively occupied by Lusitanians (4th century BC), Romans (1st
century), Visigoths (5th to 6th centuries) and Muslims (8th century),
attributing the fortification of the village was given to the latter, as
can be seen from the observation of certain stretches of the wall, with
Moorish features.
the medieval castle
In the context of the
Christian Reconquest of the Peninsula, the forces of King D. Afonso
Henriques (1112-85), after the conquests of Santarém and Lisbon (1147),
encountered strong resistance to conquer the village and its castle,
which finally happened through of a ruse (January 10, 1148). The castle
has been documented since 1153.
Definitely reconquered in the
reign of D. Sancho I (1185-1211), works were carried out on the castle
(according to the epigraphic inscription in the Torre do Facho), at
which time the town received its charter (1195).
His son and
successor, D. Afonso II (1211-23), donated the village and its castle to
D. Urraca, his wife (1210).
The village and its castle remained
faithful to D. Sancho II (1223-48), during the crisis of his deposition,
victoriously resisting, in 1246, the assaults of the forces of the Count
of Bologna, the future king D. Afonso III (1248). -1279). This
resistance earned the village the epithet of very noble and always
loyal, which still appears in its coat of arms.
Donated as a
wedding gift by D. Dinis (1279-1325) to Queen Santa Isabel during the
nuptials that took place there, the town became part of the dowry of all
the queens of Portugal until 1834. This monarch built the keep (c. .
1325).
Under the reign of D. Fernando (1367-1383), an epigraphic
inscription marks the erection, in 1375, of a tower, considered by some
to be a keep, although it lacks the characteristics of a massive base
with an entrance at the level of the raised floor, present in that of D.
Dinis.
During the context of the crisis of 1383-1385, its mayor,
against the will of the residents, sided with João I of Castile and Dna.
Beatriz, having resisted the forces of the Master of Avis. Óbidos and
its castle were given to João I of Portugal, elected in the Cortes of
Coimbra, by Vasco Gonçalves Teixeira after the death in combat of his
father and mayor of the castle, João Gonçalves, in the battle of
Aljubarrota (1385).
Under the reign of King João II (1481-1495),
Queen Dna. Leonor chose the village and its castle to reside after the
accidental death of her only son, Prince D. Afonso, still opting (1494)
for the region's thermal waters to treat the illness that would
victimize that monarch.
Her successor, Manuel I of Portugal
donated a new charter to Óbidos (1513), making important improvements to
the town and its castle. It is from this phase, in the 16th century, the
reconstruction of the Paços do Alcaide by the chief mayor D. João de
Noronha.
From the 18th century to the present day
The 1755
earthquake caused serious damage to the structure, for lack of money it
could not be rebuilt. In the context of the Peninsular War, the
fortification of Óbidos fired the first artillery shots in the battle of
Roliça (1808), the first defeat of Napoleon's troops. Later there was
the adaptation of the albarrã tower to the Clock Tower (1842) and the
construction of an external access staircase to the D. Fernando Tower
(1869).
The castle and the entire urban area of Óbidos are
classified as a national monument.
From 1932 onwards, the complex
underwent the first consolidation, reconstruction and restoration
interventions carried out by the Directorate-General for National
Buildings and Monuments, which extended over the following decades to
the present day, with the castle’s space being reclassified as Pousada
do Castelo. (1948-1950).
The castle rises at an altitude of 79 meters above sea level, with an
irregular rectangular (organic) plan, mixing elements of the Romanesque,
Gothic, Manueline and Baroque styles, spread over two main areas: the
castelejo (currently Pousada do Castelo, or Pousada de Óbidos) and the
intramural neighborhood.
The perimeter of the walls, reinforced
by square and cylindrical towers, reaches 1,565 meters, completely
covered by an adarve defended by a crenellated parapet. In some places,
the walls are 13 meters high.
The eastern section of the wall
forms the core of the wider wall that surrounds the castle and the town,
and which, extending on both sides towards the south for 500 meters,
closes the perimeter in a point, in the so-called Torre do Facho.
Access is via four doors and two shutters, with emphasis on the
Porta da Vila or Porta de Nossa Senhora da Piedade, surmounted by an
inscription placed there by King João IV (1640-1656), which reads: The
Virgin Our Lady was conceived without original sin. Inside there is a
chapel with a balcony, covered in 18th century tiles.
Also
noteworthy:
The village pillory, built in granite. It presents on one
side the shield with the royal arms and on the other side the shrimp of
D. Leonor, which this queen donated to the village in memory of the net
in which the fishermen brought her her son who died in a hunting
accident. In it, in the past, delinquents and criminals were exposed and
punished.
The village aqueduct, with a length of 3 km, uniting the
Usseira and Óbidos hills. Built by Queen Catherine of Austria, wife of
King João III (1521-1557), it transported the water that supplied the
fountains in Óbidos.
The Cruzeiro da Memória, built in commemoration
of the capture of Óbidos from the Moors by D. Afonso Henriques, marks
the place where he set up camp before conquering the town.
The Óbidos, Vila Literária project began with the rehabilitation of
degraded spaces that were transformed into bookstores.
With the aim
of creating dynamics linked to the book, the Folio - Literary Festival
was created and an application was made for the creative city of Unesco
literature. The integration took place in December 2014. The Folio
literary festival includes dozens of activities that include round
tables, interviews, gatherings, concerts, exhibitions, plays, cinema
sessions, activities with schools, with dozens of Portuguese writers and
creators and foreigners.