civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...
in the southern part of the municipality of
Coimbra
Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of .
The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto, and Braga, it is the largest cit ...
, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish
Assafarge e Antanhol
Assafarge e Antanhol is a Freguesia (Portugal), civil parish in the municipality of Coimbra, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes Assafarge and Antanhol. The population in 2011 was 5,302,
The unearthing, between the localities of Carvalhais de Cima and Carvalhais de Baixo, of several irregular cavities allude to Moorish influence in the zone. It is also likely that local peoples may have dugout these holes in order to discover the ''treasure of the Moors'', which they assumed was buried in the spaces.
The local
toponymy
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name o ...
had its base in these early Arab settlers; the name, sometimes written as ''Açafarge'', ''Açafargel'', ''Safarge'', ''Assafarja'', ''Azofargelas'', ''Azofarge'', ''Asafarge'', ''Assofragea'' or ''Alçoforge'', may have originated from the
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...
''Açafargel'' (plural ''Açafarge''), which refers to the
pome
In botany, a pome is a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the subtribe Malinae of the family Rosaceae. Well-known pomes include the apple, pear, and quince.
Etymology
The word ''pome'' entered English in the late 14th century, an ...
fruit
quince
The quince (; ''Cydonia oblonga'') is the sole member of the genus ''Cydonia'' in the Malinae subtribe (which also contains apples and pears, among other fruits) of the Rosaceae family. It is a deciduous tree that bears hard, aromatic brigh ...
.
Evidence from historical documents suggest that the parish was founded around the 12th century (although no definitive record exists), and originated from its de-annexation (in 1120) from the neighbouring parish of Castelo Viegas.
Geography
The civil parish is located along the southern border of the municipality of
Coimbra
Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of .
The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto, and Braga, it is the largest cit ...
, with the municipality of
Condeixa-a-Nova
Condeixa-a-Nova (), also known as just Condeixa, is a town and a municipality in the Coimbra (district), district of Coimbra, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 17,078, in an area of 138.67 km². It is located 15 km south of Coimbra, a ...
Cernache
Cernache is a civil parish in the municipality of Coimbra
Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of .
The fourth-largest urban area in Por ...
(in the southwest).
Situated on a hilltop plateau overlooking the
Mondego River
The Rio Mondego () or Mondego River is the longest river entirely within Portuguese territory. It has its source in Serra da Estrela, the highest mountain range in mainland Portugal (i.e. excluding the Portuguese islands). It runs from the ...
, the region is marked by limestone hills covered in pine forests, dispersed by vineyards.
By the end of the 20th century, the growth of the parish originated in its proximity to Coimbra; the resident population in 1981 was 1,714, grew slightly to 1,886 (in 1991), reaching approximately 2,200 inhabitants by 1998.
Architecture
* Chapel of Abrunheira ( pt, Capela de Abrunheira)
* Chapel of Carvalhais de Baixo ( pt, Capela de Carvalhais de Baixo)
* Chapel of Santo Amaro ( pt, Capela de Santo Amaro)
* Chapel of Palheira ( pt, Capelinha da Palheira)
* Chapel of Vale de Cantaro ( pt, Capela de Vale de Cantaro)
* Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição ( pt, Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição)
* Church of Palheira ( pt, Igreja de Palheira)
* Cross of Abrunheira ( pt, Cruzeiro de Abrunheira)
* Cross of Assafarge ( pt, Cruzeiro de Assafarge)