Vila Viçosa

Vila Viçosa
Vila Viçosa
Municipality
	Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa
	Flag Coat of arms
	Coordinates: 38°46′35″N 7°25′05″W / 38.77639°N 7.41806°W
Country	Portugal
Region	Alentejo
Intermunic. comm.	Alentejo Central
District	Évora
Parishes	4
Government
• President	Luís Caldeirinha (PS)
Area
• Total	194.86 km2 (75.24 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	8,319
• Density	43/km2 (110/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC±00:00 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+01:00 (WEST)
Local holiday	August 16
Website	http://www.cm-vilavicosa.pt

Vila Viçosa (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvilɐ viˈsɔzɐ] ^ⓘ) is a town and a municipality in the District of Évora, Alentejo in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 8,319,^[1] in an area of 194.86 km².^[2]

The municipal holiday is August 16.

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into four civil parishes (freguesias):^[3]

Bencatel
Ciladas
Nossa Senhora da Conceição e São Bartolomeu
Pardais

History

The area of Vila Viçosa has been inhabited since Antiquity, and it was the site of a small settlement in Roman times. The region was part of the Visigoth Kingdom and in the eighth century came under Moorish control after the Muslim conquest of Hispania. Moorish domination ended in 1217, when the region was reconquered by the Order of Aviz, a military order of knighthood that reclaimed large parts of Southern Portugal to the Christians. The order promoted the settlement of Christians in the area during the 13th century. In 1270, King Afonso III granted a foral (letter of feudal rights) to the incipient village of Vila Viçosa. In the early 14th century, King Dinis I built a castle in the village, to protect it from potential Castilian incursions.

In 1461, Vila Viçosa came to the hands of the House of Braganza, one of the most important houses of nobility of Portugal. This event was crucial in the history of the village, which became the main base of the Dukes of Braganza in the next centuries. The Dukes had considerable wealth and greatly promoted the economic, urban and artistic development of the village.

In 1502 the building of the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa was begun, sponsored by Jaime, fourth Duke of Braganza. Jaime was a skilled military leader who later led the Portuguese to victory against a Moorish army in the Battle of Azamor, in Morocco. The Ducal Palace was greatly remodelled between the 16th and 17th centuries in a sober late Renaissance (Mannerist) style, and was decorated through the centuries by several artists. The Dukes also sponsored artistic campaigns in several churches and monasteries in the village.

When Duke John became King John IV, in 1640, the House of Braganza moved to the capital Lisbon, and many of the riches of the Ducal Palace were transferred to the Ribeira Palace. Vila Viçosa became a vacation spot for the members of the Braganza family. This marks the beginning of a period of decay for Vila Viçosa.

Climate

Climate data for Vila Viçosa, 1985-2021, altitude: 417 m (1,368 ft)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average precipitation mm (inches)	76.2 (3.00)	54.7 (2.15)	49.8 (1.96)	53.3 (2.10)	56.1 (2.21)	12.9 (0.51)	4.1 (0.16)	4.3 (0.17)	29.6 (1.17)	82.8 (3.26)	84.7 (3.33)	89.9 (3.54)	598.4 (23.56)
Source: Portuguese Environment Agency^[4]

Economy

In the 20th century the industries of marble extraction and tourism became the main income sources of the municipality. Agricultural goods are also still important for its economy. Marble extraction and processing are responsible for around 93% of jobs in the municipality. Since the early 2000s,the displacement of material production outside Europe and the decreasing demand for natural stone have weakened local marble industries, starting an inexorable process of urban shrinking and depopulation.