Porches is a civil parish/
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 Portuguese over ...
in the municipality of
Lagoa in Portugal, about 10 km east of the city of Lagoa. The population in 2011 was 2,011,
[Instituto Nacional de Estatística]
/ref> in an area of 15.64 km2.
History
Perched on a hill on the edge of the oldest east–west road in the Algarve
The Algarve (, , ) is the southernmost NUTS statistical regions of Portugal, NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities (concelho, ''concelhos'' or ''município ...
is the small town of Porches. Vestiges of continuous occupation going back as far as the Neolithic
The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
Age have been found in the area of the 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 Portuguese over ...
. A menhir, found in this area and dated to sometime between 5000 and 4000 BC, is now in the entrance garden of the Convent of Saint Joseph in Lagoa.
According to historical sources, the actual settlement of Porches was in the middle of the 16th century, built by a group of settlers who came from an older urbanization called ''Porches Velho'', situated within the 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 Portuguese over ...
but closer to the coast. Porches Velho had been occupied during the Roman period, and in 1253 it was already a sizeable town, seat of a judicial district and with a strong medieval castle.
The area of Porches is well known for its wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...
, but also for its clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...
pits and pottery
Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...
workshops and its current inhabitants still make pottery, continuing to keep this art alive. Pottery had been re-introduced to the area when the artists Patrick Swift (who also designed the stations of the cross at Porches Church) and Lima de Freitas set up Porches Pottery (Olaria Algarve) in 1968, which still produces handpainted pottery. With the increase in tourism the prosperity of the Porches pottery industry has returned, and both traditional designs and new artistic styles are produced.
The typical Porches chimneys are original, colourful and very old. Each was ordered to be built according to the wealth of the family. The master always asked how many days he wanted the chimney to be made. Depending on the working days, the more expensive, bigger and more ornate it would be. One of the most emblematic is located under the Casa Museu, on Rua da Chaminé. It features a keep, a spoked wheel and a human figure. It dates from 1793. In Travessa do Correio there is another one, from the 18th century, with four sides. Also noteworthy is the chimney of the Leão de Porches restaurant, installed in an impressive restored 18th century building. Here we find a lion crowned with vine leaves. Legend has it that many years ago a baby lion appeared in the village.
The Atlantic coastal border of the Porches District is home to a thriving beach tourist industry, with numerous beaches and rocky areas with caves and arches.
Heritage Sites
* Fort of Our Lady of the Rock, also known as ''Porches castle'', with its Marian shrine
* Church of Our Lady of the Incarnation
See also
* Beach of Our Lady of the Rock
* New Beach
References
External links
Porches Pottery (Olaria Algarve)
{{Parishes of Lagoa
Parishes of Lagoa, Algarve
Towns in Portugal