Elvas () is a Portuguese municipality, former episcopal city and frontier fortress of easternmost central Portugal, located in the district of Portalegre in

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

. It is situated about east of

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

, and about west of the Spanish fortress of Badajoz, by the

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), an ...

- Badajoz-

railway. The municipality population was 23,078, in an area of . The city itself had a population of 16,640 . Elvas is among the finest examples of intensive usage of the ''trace italienne'' (

star fort A bastion fort or ''trace italienne'' (a phrase derived from non-standard French, literally meaning ''Italian outline'') is a fortification in a style that evolved during the early modern period of gunpowder when the cannon came to domin ...

) in military architecture, and has been a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

since 30June 2012. The inscribed site name is Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications.

History

Elvas lies on a hill northwest of the

Guadiana The Guadiana River (, also , , ), or Odiana, is an international river defining a long stretch of the Portugal-Spain border, separating Extremadura and Andalusia (Spain) from Alentejo and Algarve (Portugal). The river's basin extends from the ...

river. The

Amoreira Aqueduct The Amoreira Aqueduct () is a 16th-century aqueduct (begun in 1537) that spans the Portuguese municipality of Elvas, bringing water into the fortified seat. History By around 1498, the only fountain and source of potable water since the Mooris ...

long supplies the city with pure water; it was begun early in the 15th century and completed in 1622. For some distance it includes four tiers of superimposed arches, with a total height of . It was wrested from the Moors by

Afonso I of Portugal Afonso I of PortugalOr also ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonso'' ( Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin version), sometimes rendered in English as ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', depending on the Spanish or French i ...

in 1166 but was temporarily recaptured before its final occupation by the Portuguese in 1226. In 1570 it became an episcopal see, the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Elvas The Roman Catholic Diocese of Elvas was a Latin diocese in Portugal, located in the city Elvas, district of Portalegre in the Alentejo region and in the ecclesiastical province of Évora.Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral, which has many traces of

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

influence in its architecture, dates from the reign of

Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), was list of Portuguese monarchs, King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Duke of Viseu, Viseu prior to su ...

(1495–1521). It was defended by seven bastions and the two forts of Santa Luzia and the

Nossa Senhora da Graça Fort The Nossa Senhora da Graça Fort, officially Conde de Lippe Fort and known historically as La Lippe, is a fort in the village of Alcáçova, about north of the town of Elvas in the Portalegre District of Portugal. It stands in a dominant positi ...

. From 1642 it was the chief frontier fortress south of the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to ...

, which withstood sieges by the Spanish in 1659, 1711, and 1801. Elvas was the site of the

Battle of the Lines of Elvas The Battle of the Lines of Elvas (), was fought on 14 January 1659, in Elvas, between Portugal and Spain during the Portuguese Restoration War. It ended in a decisive Portuguese victory. Background By 1659, the Portuguese Restoration War which ...

in 1659, during which the garrison and citizens of the city assisted in the rout of a Spanish Army. The Napoleonic French under

Marshal Junot Jean-Andoche Junot, 1st Duke of Abrantes (24 September 1771 – 29 July 1813) was a French military officer during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Biography Early life Junot was born in Bussy-le-Grand, Côte-d'Or, son o ...

took it in March 1808 during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spai ...

, but evacuated it in August after the conclusion of the

Convention of Sintra The Convention of Cintra (or Sintra) was an agreement signed on 30 August 1808, during the Peninsular War. By the agreement, the defeated French were allowed to evacuate their troops from Portugal without further conflict. The Convention was sign ...

. The fortress of Campo Maior to the northeast is known for its

Napoleonic era The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly, the second being the Legislativ ...

siege by the French and relief by the British under

Marshal Beresford General William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, 1st Marquis of Campo Maior, (; 2 October 1768 – 8 January 1854) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and politician. A general in the British Army and a Marshal in the Portuguese Army, he fough ...

in 1811, an exploit commemorated in a ballad by Sir

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...

UNESCO site

The Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications were added to the list of

UNESCO World Heritage Sites A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

in 2012. The site, extensively fortified from the 17th to 19th centuries, represents the largest bulwarked dry ditch system in the world. Within its walls, the town contains

barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are ...

and other military buildings as well as churches and

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

. While Elvas contains remains dating back to the 10th century, its fortification began during the

Portuguese Restoration War The Portuguese Restoration War ( pt, Guerra da Restauração) was the war between Portugal and Spain that began with the Portuguese revolution of 1640 and ended with the Treaty of Lisbon in 1668, bringing a formal end to the Iberian Union. The p ...

. The fortifications played a major role in the

in 1659. The fortifications were designed by

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

Jesuit Padre João Piscásio Cosmander and represent the best surviving example of the Dutch school of fortifications anywhere. The site consists the following: #

, built to withstand long sieges. # Historic Centre # and the covered way #

# Fortlet of São Mamede # #

Fortlet of São Domingos A ''castellum'' in Latin is usually: * a small Roman fortlet or tower,C. Julius Caesar, Gallic War; 2,30 a diminutive of (' military camp'), often used as a watchtower or signal station like on Hadrian's Wall. It should be distinguished fro ...

Climate

Civil Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided in seven civil parishes (''

freguesias ''Freguesia'' (), usually translated as " parish" or "civil parish", is the third-level administrative subdivision of Portugal, as defined by the 1976 Constitution. It is also the designation for local government jurisdictions in the former ...

''): * Assunção, Ajuda, Salvador e Santo Ildefonso * Barbacena e Vila Fernando * Caia, São Pedro e Alcáçova * Santa Eulália * São Brás e São Lourenço * São Vicente e Ventosa * Terrugem e Vila Boim

Sister cities

* Badajoz,

Extremadura Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, ...

, Spain *

Olivenza Olivenza () or Olivença () is a town in southwestern Spain, near the Portuguese border, on a historically disputed section of the Portugal–Spain border. Its territory is administered by Spain as a municipality belonging to the province of B ...

, Spain * Campo Maior,

, Portugal

Notable people

Manuel Rodrigues Coelho Manuel Rodrigues Coelho (ca. 15551635) was a Portuguese organist and composer. He is the first important Iberian keyboard composer since Cabezón. Coelho was born in Elvas around 1555 and probably received early education at the Elvas Cathedral ...

(ca. 1555 – 1635) a Portuguese organist and composer. *

João de Fontes Pereira de Melo João de Fontes Pereira de Melo (25 January 1780 – 28 October 1856) was a Portuguese politician and a general in the 19th century. He was colonial governor of Cape Verde and Minister of the Maritime and Overseas.colonial governor of Cape Verde *

José Travassos Valdez, 1st Count of Bonfim José Lúcio Travassos Valdez (February 23, 1787 – July 10, 1862), only Baron and first Count of Bonfim (), was a Portuguese soldier and statesman. Early life Travassos Valdez was born in Elvas, Portugal, on February 23, 1787, and originally ...

(1787–1862) a Portuguese soldier and statesman. * Fortunato José Barreiros (1797–1885) a colonial governor of Cape Verde and military architect. *

Adelaide Cabete Adelaide Cabete Adelaide Cabete (25 January 1867, Elvas – 14 September 1935), was a Portuguese feminist and republican. In 1909, with Ana de Castro Osorio she created the Republican League of Portuguese Women. She was the founder of the Portugu ...

(1867–1935) a Portuguese feminist and republican. * Virgínia Quaresma (1882–1973) an early radical, feminist, lesbian journalist * Sofia Pomba Guerra (1906–1976) a feminist, opponent of the Estado Novo government in Portugal and an activist in the anti-colonial movements of Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau. * José António Rondão Almeida (born 1945) a Portuguese politician & Mayor of Elvas *

Toni Vidigal António 'Toni' Leonel Vidigal (born 1 March 1975) is a Portuguese retired professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. Football career Born in Elvas, Portalegre District, Vidigal made his senior debuts at only 16, with O Elvas C. ...

(born 1975),

Jorge Vidigal Jorge Filipe Vidigal (born 29 January 1978) is an Angolan retired footballer who played as a right back. Club career Born in Elvas, Portugal, Vidigal played most of his career in the country's lower leagues, representing hometown club O Elvas C ...

(born 1978) &

André Vidigal André Filipe Cunha Vidigal (born 17 August 1998) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Marítimo as a left winger. Club career Académica Born in Elvas, Vidigal began his career as a youth with O Elvas C.A.D. before joining A ...

(born 1998) Angolan football brothers *

Raquel Guerra Raquel Guerra (born 11 November 1985) is a Portuguese singer and actress. She was born in Elvas. One of the finalists of the Portuguese Idols, along with Luciana Abreu and they both worked in the soap-opera Floribella broadcast on the SI ...

(born 1985) a Portuguese singer and actress. Raquel Guerra, IMDb Database
retrieved 16 July 2021. * Henrique Sereno (born 1985) a Portuguese former footballer with 236 club caps

Gallery

File:Elvas September 2013-40.jpg, Entrance of the Municipal Library of Elvas File:Elvas-Pelourinho-CCBYSA.jpg, A pillory in the city of Elvas File:Elvas Station, Alentejo, Portugal.jpg, Elvas Station File:Arco em Elvas.jpg, Typical features File:Elvas Castle, Alentejo, Portugal, 29 September 2005-2.jpg,

Castle of Elvas The Castle of Elvas ( pt, Castelo de Elvas) is a medieval military fortification in Portugal, in the civil parish of Alcáçova, municipality of Elvas, part of a first line of defense in the Portuguese Alentejo, in conjunction with the military fo ...

File:Elvas e muralhas.jpg, City walls File:Elvas Castle, Alentejo, Portugal, 29 September 2005.jpg,

File:Elvas_(30792921230).jpg, Elvas, Portugal File:Elvas aqueduct.jpg,

File:Largo de Santa Clara - Elvas.jpg, Square of Santa Clara File:Elvas_(30353084113).jpg, Elvas, Alentejo File:BLElvas00.jpg, Monument commemorating the 1659 Battle of the Lines of Elvas

References

External links

UNESCO, Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications
{{authority control Cities in Portugal World Heritage Sites in Portugal Populated places in Portalegre District Municipalities of Portalegre District