Serpa (), officially the Municipality of Serpa (), is 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 A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

of Beja in southern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 15,623, in an area of .Áreas das freguesias, concelhos, distritos e país
/ref> The Guadiana River flows close to the town of Serpa.

History

Serpa has its origins in early settlement that preceded the Roman occupation of the Iberian peninsula. The neighbouring town of Beja (known as ''Pax Julia'' by the Romans) became the capital of southern Lusitanian (''Pacensis''). Serpa grew through the settlement of Roman colonists, with proof coming from various archaeological remains within the Roman villa.

Moorish The term Moor is an exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a single, distinct or self-defi ...

settlement followed this period, and remained until the

Reconquista The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...

(the Christian re-conquest of

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...

). As a result of Serpa's proximity to the Spanish border, the town has always been a defensive stronghold. In the 13th century, owing to its location on the left bank of the

Guadiana The Guadiana River ( , , , ) 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 la Mancha and the e ...

, it was occupied by forces loyal to Castile. On 1281, King D.

Alfonso X of Castile Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, ; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, Kingdom of León, León and Kingdom of Galicia, Galicia from 1 June 1252 until his death in 1284. During the April 1257 Imperial election, election of 1 ...

delimited the municipality, attributing a

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 ...

(''charter'') to the town, from Seville, in order to encourage settlement and expansion. Following the Reconquista, in 1295, Serpa received a new foral from Portuguese King D. Dinis. The local keep that dominated Serpa was partly damaged as a result of the last Spanish invasion. At that time, the king ordered the re-construction of the castle, as well as the erection of a wall fortification. A new foral was issued in 1513, by King D. Manuel I, who was the former master of Serpa. During the 17th century, the walls and system of bastions were adapted to serve as a defensive line by Nicolau de Langres (1665). On 30 January 1954, the walls of Serpa were classified as a ''Monumento Nacional'' (''National Monument''). Following the

Carnation Revolution The Carnation Revolution (), code-named Operation Historic Turn (), also known as the 25 April (), was a military coup by military officers that overthrew the Estado Novo government on 25 April 1974 in Portugal. The coup produced major socia ...

(in 1974), the

Portuguese Communist Party The Portuguese Communist Party (, , PCP) is a Communism, communist and Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist List of political parties in Portugal, political party in Portugal. It is one of the strongest List of communist parties, communist par ...

gained strong support in the area, where it continues to be popular. On 26 August 2003, the town of Serpa was elevated to city status. Meanwhile, on 28 January 2013, the historic centre of Serpa (that included the principal civil parishes) of São Salvador and Santa Maria, was re-incorporated into a single civil parish (Decree 11-A/2013, Diário da República, Série 1, 19). Guadiana river

Geography

Administratively, the municipality is divided into five

civil parishes 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. Civil parishe ...

: * Brinches * Pias * Serpa (Salvador e Santa Maria) * Vila Nova de São Bento e Vale de Vargo * Vila Verde de Ficalho

Climate

Economy

The area surrounding Serpa consists mostly of farms and cultivated lands of wheat, that have traditionally been the staple of the local economy, employing many people. Due to the area's strong agricultural reliance, the local population has traditionally been agrarian farmers and sheepherders. This has also resulted in the production of its spicy and strong-smelling

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

s, produced in the area and commercialized throughout Portugal. Slightly to the northeast, in the region of Pias, the area cultivates vineyards in order to produce local wines. On 27 April 2006,

GE Energy GE Power (formerly known as GE Energy) was an American energy technology company owned by General Electric (GE). In April 2024, GE completed the spin-off of GE Power into a separate company, GE Vernova. Following this, General Electric ceased t ...

Financial Services, PowerLight Corporation and Catavento Lda. announced that they would build one of the world's largest solar photovoltaic power projects at a single site in Serpa. The 11-megawatt solar power station, comprising 52,000 photovoltaic modules, would be built in one of Europe's sunniest areas. The power station was inaugurated on 28 March 2007.

Culture

Urban residents of Lisbon, Beja and other cities maintain country homes in Serpa, or take weekend breaks to the area as a result of Serpa's rural location and laid back lifestyle. Local and regional specialties include Shepherd's Lamb Stew, a Clam and Pork dish and Sweet Potato Pastries.

Notable people

* Jorge de Melo (1460-1534) a nobleman, member of the Court of

John III of Portugal John III ( ; 6 June 1502 – 11 June 1557), nicknamed The Pious ( Portuguese: ''o Piedoso''), was the King of Portugal and the Algarve from 1521 until he died in 1557. He was the son of King Manuel I and Maria of Aragon, the third daughter of ...

* Vasco Fernandes Coutinho (1490–1561) a fidalgo and the first donatary of the

Captaincy A captaincy ( , , ) is a historical administrative division of the former Spanish colonies, Spanish and Portuguese colonies, Portuguese colonial empires. It was instituted as a method of organization, directly associated with the home-rule admin ...

Espírito Santo Espírito Santo (; ) is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist attracti ...

in Brazil * Estêvão de Brito (c.1570–1641) a composer of polyphony * José Correia da Serra (1750–1823) an abbot, polymath, philosopher, diplomat, politician and scientist * Etelvina Lopes de Almeida (1916-2004) a writer, journalist, broadcaster and politician * Nicolau Breyner (1940–2016) a playwright, director and actor. *

Filipe La Féria Luís Filipe Valente Lá Féria Orta, known professionally as Filipe La Féria (born May 17, 1945 in Vila Nova de São Bento), is a Portugal, Portuguese Television director, director, Television producer, producer, and screenwriter for television ...

(born 1945) a director, producer and screenwriter for TV and theatre. Filipe La Féria, IMDb Database
retrieved 10 June 2021. * Luísa Basto (born 1947) a political singer *

Nelo Vingada Eduardo Manuel "Nelo" Martinho Bragança de Vingada (born 30 March 1953) is a Portuguese football manager and former footballer. Managerial career Early years Vingada was born in Serpa. His first steps as a professional football manager were ...

(born 1953) a football manager

References

Sources and external links

Watch & Clock MuseumPlanicie Dourada Tourist Region

Photos from Serpa
* * * * {{authority control Municipalities of Beja District Populated places in Beja District