To the origins
The Alentejo has a rich and impressive megalithic heritage. At 7 m high and 1.25 m in diameter, the Menhir de Meada is the largest granite standing stone in the Iberian Peninsula. Its phallic shape suggests that it may have been a monument associated with fertility cults. The region also boasts superb examples of cromlechs or stone circles. The Cromlech d'Os Almendres is one of the most famous, with its 93 megaliths forming an oval measuring 60 m by 30 m, arranged according to the position of the sun at the equinoxes. These astonishing megalithic monuments, with their ritual functions, are complemented by imposing funerary structures known as antas. These are funerary chambers accessible via a corridor and covered by a polygonal, rectangular or circular mound. The 6 m-high Anta Grande do Zambujeiro consists of several imposing granite slabs that formed the original inner chamber. A few millennia later, it was the Romans' turn to make their mark. The Troia peninsula is home to the ruins of Cetobriga, an important Roman port that still boasts the remains of salting tanks. The site of Microbriga bears witness to an impressive mastery of water, with its thermal baths whose various areas (baths, rest room), but above all the water pipes, can still be seen. The site is also famous for the foundations of a forum, a temple dedicated to Venus and, above all, the remains of Portugal's only Roman racecourse. The Romans also imagined a rural architecture of which the grand villas are the proud representatives. Don't miss the ruins of the Villa de Pisoes, with its atrium and mosaic-paved swimming pool, or those of the Villa de São Cucufate, which impresses with the quality of its amenities and the beauty of its frescoes. Finally, a visit to Evora is a must to discover the remains of the city walls, the thermal baths (found in the basement of the town hall) and, above all, to appreciate the beauty of the Temple of Diana (Templo romano) with its elegant Corinthian columns. The temple owes its astonishing preservation to the fact that it was long incorporated into the medieval fortifications!
Powerful Middle Ages
One of the great treasures of the Alentejo is the testimony it bears to Muslim rule. While most mosques were destroyed during the Reconquest, the one at Mertola has survived the centuries almost unchanged. Its square floor plan, rows of slender columns supporting beautiful pointed arches, arches dominated by horseshoe arches, keyhole doors, mihrab (niche pointing to Mecca), crenellated roof with pinnacles and chimney reminiscent of a minaret all bear witness to the richness of this Islamic art. The town of Moura, on the other hand, has preserved traces of typical Arab urban planning, with its Mouraria lined with low houses featuring large openwork chimneys for ventilation and airing. Evora is home to the remains of fortifications - whose irregular stonework is a feature of Arab defensive architecture - and traces of the ancient kasbah. To confirm the Reconquest, the Christian kings reinforced the Arab fortresses and built new castles. Beja's square, crenellated keep was raised to an impressive height of 42m. In Marvão, visitors can follow the walkway that follows the line of the old citadel and discover the impressive castle cistern, with its courtyards, curtain walls, flights of stairs and vaulted passages that protected the keep. Estremoz, one of the most beautiful fortified towns in the region, is home to the superb Torre dos Tres Coronas, a white marble keep with crenellations and machicolations carved into the top. The art of fortification was complemented by a new urban planning style, with a network of cobbled streets, vaulted passageways and stairways leading to the cobbled squares at the heart of the city. Evora, with its irregularly terraced houses and asymmetrical squares, is a fine example. Castelo de Vide, criss-crossed by picturesque, tiered streets, boasts a real treasure: its Judiara or Jewish quarter, where you can still admire the beautiful houses with their typically Gothic, pointed-vaulted doors framed in granite. Take a look at the motifs adorning some of the stones - they often represent the owner's profession! The 14th-century synagogue has retained all its medieval sobriety. The very religious Middle Ages saw the emergence of many monasteries, such as the fortified Flor da Rosa monastery, and above all numerous churches and cathedrals. The cathedral at Evora illustrates the transition from Romanesque to Gothic. Its massive towers, which give it the air of a fortress, remain profoundly Romanesque, as do the simplicity and sobriety of the interior lines. But the sculptures, rose window motifs and cloister with its beautifully carved columns are resolutely Gothic. Later on, some of the churches bear the stamp of the Mudéjar style (that of Moorish craftsmen working under the control of Christian kings), like the beautiful church of Santa Maria de Beja, whose horseshoe arches and 4 massive white columns framing the minaret-like porch reflect this blend of influences.
Amazing Renaissance
It all began with the abundant Manueline style, which made an astonishing transition from Gothic to Renaissance, inspired by the effervescence of this period of great discoveries. Ship's ropes, navigational instruments, plant decorations and exotic animals mingle with Moorish and Spanish influences, of which coffered ceilings and azulejos are the first representatives. Carved portals, spiral pillars, sculpted decorative elements often isolated in large, sober spaces to enhance them, and royal emblems (armillary sphere, pelican and cross of the Order of Christ) are the hallmarks of this style. The church of São João Baptista de Moura, with its polychrome azulejos, three-lobed arches and plant decorations, is a fine example, as is the Manueline gateway at Viana do Alentejo, with its twisted columns and royal emblems. This is the work of Diogo de Arruda, who also designed the astonishing new Evora castle, which features square corner towers inspired by the codes of Renaissance military architecture, while sculpting stylized knots and cords on each façade, typical of the Manueline style. And let's not forget the church of São Francisco d'Evora, with its porch of varied arcatures and its entrance portal framed by marble twisted columns with elaborate capitals. It was designed by the great architect of the time, Francisco de Arruda, creator of the famous Torre de Belém. Gradually, its style evolved towards a more sober Renaissance, inspired by classical and humanist ideals, as illustrated by the transformation of Evoramonte castle into an Italian-inspired palace, or the impressive aqueduct da Agua de Prata supplying Evora, whose powerful brick arches are reminiscent of the great Roman aqueducts. This Renaissance was also very urban, with the appearance of superb patrician residences with whitewashed walls and facades adorned with elaborate wrought-iron balconies. Evora bears the hallmark of this Renaissance harmony. Among the city's masterpieces, don't miss: the University, with its peaceful cloister serving the various azulejo-clad classrooms; the Church of Graça, whose facade sculpted with impressive atlatls is the work of French sculptor Nicolas Chantereine; its marble fountains; or the Casa Cordovil, with its sumptuous dome-topped arcaded loggia. The village of Monsaraz, with its perfectly whitewashed shale sidewalks and stately homes often emblazoned with coats of arms and adorned with wrought-iron balconies, is another fine example of Renaissance urban harmony... as is the Paço Ducal in Vila Viçosa, with its impressive 110 m-long facade housing nearly 78 rooms behind its sparkling white marble!
Baroque effervescence
Baroque is, par excellence, the art of powerful decoration and staging. The main square in Estremoz is a perfect example. Staircases, portals, window frames... all covered in local marble, as is the impressive façade of the Câmara Municipal, the town hall. The São Francisco church, also in local marble, houses a magnificent Tree of Jesse (representing Christ's genealogy) carved in gilded wood. Gold is also found in the masterpiece of Portuguese Baroque: the talha dourada. This gilded wood architectural sculpture surrounding the high altar takes on the most exuberant forms: twisted columns, canopies, arches surrounded by cherubs... Fine examples can be seen in the Santo Antão church in Evora or in the chapel of the Regional Museum in Beja. Pilgrimage churches, often isolated, are designed to impress the faithful. The Nossa Senhora de Aires church is the most striking example. See its powerful polychromy of white and yellow, its towers and domes surmounted by bulbous bell towers and the finesse of its ornamentation. Other great examples of this abundant Baroque style include the chapels of the São Francisco church in Evora, the beautiful mansions and Santa Maria church lining the Praça Dom Pedro V in Castelo de Vide, and the ceremonial rooms of the Paço Ducal in Vila Viçosa with their trompe-l'oeil ceilings. Far from this decorative splendor, Baroque was also to take on a military dimension, following the precepts of two different schools: the French school, as illustrated by the ramparts of Evora designed by engineer Nicolas de Langres based on the ideas of the famous Vauban, and the Dutch school. Elvas, a fortified garrison town, bears the hallmark of the latter. Considered the world's largest defensive system of dry moat ramparts, the site is a Unesco World Heritage Site. A Jesuit priest-architect-mathematician, Cosmander Cieremans, was responsible for this military masterpiece, which managed to adapt purely geometric theories to a rugged topography. A total of 12 forts are inserted into an irregular polygon protecting the castle. The ramparts and embankments are surrounded by a dry moat and a counterscarp (outer wall of the moat), and protected by half-moons. This defensive system also included more distant forts adapted to the evolutions of long-range artillery, such as the Forts de Santa Luzia and Graça; secondary forts; covered roads; and above all, an impressive aqueduct whose 840 arches extended their power over almost 8 km. Thus supplied, the city could withstand a siege lasting several months!
Vernacular and contemporary riches
Curveiros are circular huts with conical roofs, used for raising pigs and goats. They are arranged in a circle around an enclosed central courtyard. In the mountains, dwellings range from simple troglodyte shelters to circular huts built of dry stone and featuring astonishing false vaults. These are known as casas abrigos. Then there are the tapadas, or hunting lodges; the quintas, large rural properties inherited from Roman villas; the montes, small rural communities; and, of course, the isolated farmhouses dotting the plains and hills. The latter are the soul of the Alentejo. Rectangular in plan, on stone foundations, with gently sloping gable roofs covered in ceramic tiles and imposing chimneys, with a single entrance and very few windows so as not to weigh too heavily on the adobe structure, these houses are famous for their thick whitewashed walls, making the coloured door and window frames stand out more vividly (blue and green are very popular). Farms, but also mills, wells and low boundary walls reveal the rich technical and thermal properties of this natural material. Protected from the ravages of mass tourism, Alentejo has seen the development of sober contemporary architecture, inspired by the region's history as well as its vernacular architecture. The Ecork Hotel in Evora, with its dazzlingly white, flat-roofed cube-shaped houses separated by courtyards, is reminiscent of casbahs, while the Sobreiras-Alentejo Country Hotel in the Serra de Grândola is reminiscent of agricultural complexes, with its simple volumes designed using ecological, sustainable materials. Wineries, too, are resolutely contemporary, while retaining traditional features, such as Domaine Herdade da Cardeira in Borba, with its patios and pergolas and slightly ochre lime plaster; L'And Vineyards Hotel, with its white, geometric concrete volumes; and Torre de Palma Wine Hotel, with its spaces organized around a large courtyard. In Arraiolos, the Tapestry Museum has been beautifully renovated, with inverted tunnel roofs offering more space. In Mora, don't miss the River Aquarium, a monolithic block sheltered by a gabled structure of white concrete porticos. The motto of the place: shade, ventilation and durability of materials. The Casa da Volta, inspired by casbahs and blending wood, concrete and stucco, the Cercle House, entirely designed using local materials and techniques, and the House in Grândola, resembling a fortified castle, are among the region's most beautiful villas... and there are many of them! Finally, let's end with a few unusual ones: casa na Terra, a former underground house converted into a hotel, accessed through an entrance that resembles an earth fault; the Nova Aldeia da Luz water tower, modelled on the chimneys of Le Corbusier's famous Unités d'habitation ; and the São Domingos copper mines, now deserted, which offer a striking glimpse of life in the 19th century, with the lower town populated by working-class corons and the upper town designed for English engineers who built squares, kiosks, villas with gardens and tennis courts.. a must for Urbex fans!
