Almodôvar ( , from ), officially known as Town of Almodôvar (), is a town and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the District of Beja, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 7,449, in an area of 777.88 km². The present Mayor is António Bota, a member of the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

. The town's Museum of Southwestern Writing is featured on episode 1 of the three part documentary ''The Celts: Blood, Iron and Sacrifice'', which was broadcast by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

in 2015, and hosted by

Alice Roberts Alice May Roberts (born 19 May 1973) is an English academic, TV presenter and author. Since 2012 she has been professor of Public Engagement in Science at the University of Birmingham. She was president of the charity Humanists UK from Januar ...

and Neil Oliver, featuring stone tables containing what some archeologists believe to be a proto-Celtic language.

Parishes

The municipality is subdivided into the following parishes: * Aldeia dos Fernandes * Almodôvar e Graça dos Padrões * Santa Clara-a-Nova e Gomes Aires * Rosário * Santa Cruz * São Barnabé

History

The village of Almodôvar is signaled in medieval Islamic cartography under the name ''al-Mudawwar'' meaning "thing in round" or "surrounded in round". The settlement was rebuilt at the time of the

Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula The Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula (; 711–720s), also known as the Arab conquest of Spain, was the Umayyad conquest of the Visigothic Kingdom of Hispania in the early 8th century. The conquest resulted in the end of Christian rule ...

, with walls surrounding it and a castle inside. Remains of these have, however, disappeared. Almodôvar received its first

Foral 200px, Foral of Castro Verde - Portugal The ''Carta de Foral'', or simply ''Foral'', was a royal document in Portugal and its former empire, whose purpose was to establish a ''concelho'' (Council) and regulate its administration, borders and priv ...

(Town

Charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

) on April 17, 1285, by order of King Dinis of Portugal, confirmed by a new Foral on June 1, 1512, by order of King

Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate (), was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portugal, as monarch. Manu ...

Geography

The Almodôvar area is situated in an area of transition between the

Alentejo Alentejo ( , , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond the Tagus" (). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo Province, Alto Alentejo and Bai ...

peneplain, in the northernmost part of the municipality, and the hills of the Serra do Caldeirão to the south of its territory. The Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) which begins in

Aljustrel Aljustrel (), officially Town of Aljustrel (), is a town and a municipality in the Portuguese district of Beja. The population in 2011 was 9,257, in an area of 458.47 km2. The present mayor is Nelson Domingos Brito, elected by the Socialis ...

and spreads through the lower Alentejo extending into Southern

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

crosses the area of the municipality.

Climate

The municipality experiences a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

with hot, dry summers and mild wet winters.

Notable people

* Katchana (born 1983) real name, ''Ricardo Jorge Guerreiro Felisberto'', a footballer with over 300 club caps * Daniel Mestre (born 1986) a Portuguese cyclist

References

External links

Town Hall official websiteMunicipality of Almodôvar Portal
Populated places in Beja District Municipalities of Beja District {{Beja-geo-stub