Obidos

Obidos

 

 

Location: Oeste Subregion  Map

 

Description of Obidos

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).

 

Etymology

"Óbidos" derives from the Latin term ópido, meaning «citadel», «fortified city». Nearby stands the Roman village of Eburobrício.

 

History

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

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).

 

Features

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.

 

Literary Village

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.