ALENTEJO GOLDEN PLAINS - MUST SEES

Beja Castle

The city walls of Beja were built by the Romans in the 3rd and 4th centuries, back when the Romans referred to the area as Pax Julia. In 1253, King Afonso III ordered that the walls and the old Roman fortress be rebuilt. Work continued on the castle and the city walls through the end of the 14th century. The iconic keep tower was built during the reign of King Dinis I in the early 14th century. Due to the number of renovations the castle has seen through the years, examples of Romanesque, Gothic, Manueline and Mannerist architectural styles can be seen. The castle saw heavy fighting during the Peninsular Wars and the Liberal Wars, with the majority of the townspeople massacred during the former conflict.

Rua Dom Dinis, 7800-276 Beja

Igreja de Santo Amaro

The Igreja de Santo Amaro is noteworthy as one of the few remaining examples of pre-Romanesque architecture still standing in Portugal, and also includes a sizable collection of Visigothic art. The church was constructed in the 900s to serve Christians who were living in the Moorish caliphate at the time. The church interior is divided into four sections and three naves, commonly seen in Visigothic houses of worship, which operated under a feudal system. Additions in the 1500s and 1700s took on aspects of (then-modern) Gothic and Baroque architecture.

Largo de Santo Amaro, 7800-263 Beja

Beja Cathedral

The city cathedral, also referred to by locals as Sao Tiago Maior, was built in 1590. Before then, there was an older building on this plot of land that also served as a church dedicated to St. James the Great (Sao Tiago Maior). The church was built in the Mannerist style and Jorge Rodriguez served as the architect. Starting around 1875, the church fell into disrepair due to fighting between political factions. In 1925, reconstruction began on the cathedral in order to return the important building to its 16th century luster; the building you see today was reinaugurated with much fanfare in 1937.

Largo do Lidador 7, 7800-264 Beja

Porta de Evora

The Porta de Evora (also referred to as the Roman arch of Evora) was built in either the 3rd or 4th century, around the same time the Beja city walls were built. This `door` was the main entryway to the Beja Castle barbican. By the early 1500s, the original arch had disappeared (it was not believed to have been destroyed in battle) and a new one was built in its place. In 1869, the gate was dismantled as city leaders believed it wasn`t wide enough. It was rebuilt in 1938 in the first of many renovation projects slated for the castle (1938, 1965, 1969, 1970-73, 1980-81, 1982).

Rua Dom Dinis 1, 7800-274 Beja

Roman Villa of Pisoes

Located approximately six miles southwest of Beja, the Roman villa of Pisoes was discovered in 1967; local farmers stumbled upon the ruins while preparing to gauge the surrounding land`s arability. Three years later, it was declared a Property of Public Interest. The villa was inhabited between the first and fourth centuries of the Common Era. Among the partially excavated ruins are a portion of a forty-room mansion, thermal baths, a peristyle, and many colorful mosaics.

Herdade de Algramaca, 7800 Beja

Igreja de Santa Maria

This church (also known by its full name, Igreja Matriz de Santa Maria da Feira) was built on the site of a Visigothic church dating from the 7th century. The current building was finished in 1270, with additions built well into the 18th century. The iconic bell tower and galilee were built in the Mudejar architectural style and date from the 14th century. The elaborate chapel and altar were designed in the lavish Renaissance style. Be sure to view the gilt carving of the Tree of Jesse, by Manuel Joao da Fonseca.

Largo de Santa Maria 20, 7800-133 Beja

Ermida de Santo Andre

This shrine was built in the Gothic-Mudejar hybrid architectural style, at the request of King Sancho I in 1162. The shrine was built to commemorate the occasion of the Portuguese crown wresting control of Beja from the Moors. The lancet arches (one in the front-center and two on the sides) were added to the building in the 15th century. It has been listed as a national monument since 1959.

Rua de Lisboa 74, 7800-292 Beja

Praca da Republica

Beja`s spacious town square was once an area where vendors sold beef, chicken and lamb. The cafes and shops around the square thrived even more after a complete overhaul of the town square was implemented in 1940. The current design dates from 2003, with the old cobblestones having been removed from the square and replaced by 1600 slabs of Portuguese marble. The Igreja da Misericordia em Beja and the town pillory are landmarks located directly on thesquare.

Memorial al-Mu'tamid

The Moorish king and poet Al-Mu`tamid was born in Beja in the year 1040. In addition to the Alentejo, Al-Mu`tamid was also in charge of much of the land we now know as the Algarve, and his family also ruled the caliphate in Seville (now part of Spain). In addition to being known as a benevolent ruler, he was also an accomplished writer and is considered one of the classic poets of Moorish Portugal. In 1091, he was defeated in battle and lost all of his land. A monument to the king was built beginning in 2003, and was finally completed in 2014.

Parque da Cidade, Rua de Lisboa, 7800 Beja

Alvito Castle

The castle for the town of Alvito was built between 1494-1504. The powerful earthquake of 1755, which was felt all around Portugal, damaged the castle. The castle`s current facade dates from these renovations (finished ca. 1777). The castle, built in the Moorish, Gothic and Manueline styles, has three floors and four cylindrical turrets. Since 1993, it has been run by the Portuguese government as a pousada.

Largo do Roque, 7920-999 Alvito

Igreja Matriz de Alvito

This church also goes by the name Church of Our Lady of the Assumption (Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Assuncao). It was built in 1279, shortly after the village of Alvito was founded, in the Gothic and Manueline styles. A third nave was built in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, expanding the church's square footage. In 1481, the first Baron of Alvito was buried here, and his tomb still lies on the church grounds. Azulejos and gilded carvings are on display in the town`s largest church.

Largo da Trindade 2, 7920-018 Alvito

Ermida de Sao Sebastiao

Located just off the square of the same name, the hermitage of St. Sebastian was built in the late 1400s, and was dedicated to a saint that was considered to ward off the plague. The plague killed a number of townspeople in the year 1480, and the hermitage was built in response. The single-nave church has a whitewashed facade and is home to a well-preserved fresco. The hermitage`s iconic buttresses are numerous (fourteen, to be exact).

Rua dos Aviadores 1, 7920-052 Alvito

Igreja da Misericordia

The Order of the Brotherhood of Mercy built a church and hospital in the village of Alvito in 1520. Two noteworthy townspeople, a notary and a successful merchant, championed the Order`s arrival in Alvito. The space was further expanded approximately 30 or 40 years after the building`s dedication. The chapel inside the Church of Mercy and the vault inside a separate chapel, the Chapel of Our Lady of the Candles, both feature breathtaking murals and frescoes. Renovations date from the time immediately after an earthquake hit the region in 1969.

Rua da Misericordia 14, 7920-038 Alvito

Moura Castle

Castles had been built on the top of the hill overlooking Moura since the Iron Age. Moura Castle as we know it today dates from the time of the Moors, who ruled over the town below, known at that time as Al-Manijah. King Dinis I ordered the castle be remodeled in the 14th century. At the entrance of the castle`s alcazaba are the ruins of a convent which housed an order of Dominican nuns. The Dominican order lived in the convent inside the castle from 1562 until 1875.

Calcada do Castelo, 7830-009 Moura

Igreja Matriz de Sao Joao Baptista de Moura

Before the 15th century, the only church in Moura was located inside the castle`s alcazaba. It was called the Igreja de Santa Maria do Castelo. Due to population growth, a larger mother church was built in 1455. The current mother church building dates from 1502, when it was rebuilt on the orders of King Manuel. The church interior is divided into three naves separated by octagonal pillars, marking the first instance of their use in the Portuguese Gothic architectural style. Two side chapels are located at both sides of the main chapel.

Rua de Arouche 3, 7860-033 Moura

Igreja Matriz de Safara

The first religious building constructed by the Portuguese crown in Safara, Moura, was a small priory in the 13th century. The area`s mother church was not built until the 16th century, and after decades of work, it was finally dedicated in 1602. The Mannerist church features Ionic columns as well as motifs inspired by Venetian literature. The side walls are enhanced by beautiful blue and white tiles.

Praca 25 de Abril 18, 7875-067 Safara, Moura

Igreja Paroquial de Santo Aleixo da Restauracao

The first church in Santo Aleixo, Moura, was built in 1626 and was destroyed by invading Castilian troops. The current building dates from a reconstruction finished in 1683 (enlarged in 1733 after the Spanish attempted to destroy it again). The original construction featured a chapel with just one nave; the current building has three. The interior fuses together the architecture styles of Mannerism and Baroque.

Praca da Restauracao, 7875-154 Santo Aleixo da Restauracao, Moura

Moura/Barrancos Special Protection Area

The Portuguese government and the European Union have recognized a `special protection area` for flora and fauna across 327 square miles in the Alentejo Golden Plains. 59% of the area is located in Moura, 21% is located in Barrancos, 20% in Mourao, and 1% in Serpa. The area is very diverse and is comprised of forests, the Guadiana River valley, farms, and lakes. Steppe birds such as the crane and animals such as the Iberian lynx are monitored by the government and the EU, in an effort to increase the animals` overall populations and qualities of life.

Safara e Santo Aleixo da Restaurancao, Moura, and Barrancos

Noudar Castle

The Portuguese government and the country`s top archaeologists have concluded that Noudar Castle was originally built in the 10th century, during the time of the Moors, and not during the Reconquista. The castle was first built to monitor the trade route between Merida and Beja. The castle reverted to Portuguese control in 1295, and would change hands between the Portuguese crown and Castile multiple times, all the way through the 18th century. In 1893, the castle, which had long been abandoned, was sold to a businessman in Barrancos. After the government bought the castle in 1997, archaeologists learned of the castle`s Moorish beginnings.

Off the N258 motorway, between 7 and 8 miles northwest of Barrancos

Ermida de Santa Luzia

The hermitage in Pias was built rather late on the grand timeline of Alentejan religious architecture. Completed in the early 1500s, the hermitage is Manueline in structure and consists of a chapel with just one nave, and side chapels flanking the main one. These side chapels feature frescoes which illustrate the life of the Virgin Mary.

Off the N255 motorway, approximately 1.5 miles north of Pias

Serpa Castle

In the middle of the 13th century, Afonso III of Portugal was challenged by Alfonso X, King of Castile, for the land surrounding Serpa. It was later taken by Castile, only to be transferred back to Portuguese control in 1283. The town castle was built at the end of the 13th century. Many tragedies befell Serpa, including pestilence and famine, and the small castle was finally abandoned by the year 1660. As early as 1870, the castle was considered `in ruins`. The government began a series of renovations on what was left of the castle beginning in 1958.

Rua da Barbaca, 7830-350 Serpa

Serpa City Hall

The town hall in Serpa is the home of the area council and the elected municipal assembly. The town archives are also based here; they say that the building dates from the early 16th century. Both the building and the archives have been open to the public for over 30 years. The city hall was the site of large celebrations in 2013, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the town`s charter.

Praca da Republica 1, 7830-389 Serpa

Igreja Matriz de Serpa (Igreja de Santa Maria)

Built on the site of an ancient Arab mosque (and partially using the stonework from that mosque), the principal church in the town of Serpa was constructed in the last decade of the 13th century and the first decade of the 14th century. The keep and clock tower (designed in the style of an Arab minaret) are housed inside strong, fortified walls, which were meant to keep attacking forces out. The three-nave church is constructed in the Mannerist style and is considered a noteworthy Mannerist structure in the Alentejo.

Escadas de Santa Maria, 7830-389 Serpa

Amieira Marina

Amieira Marina is located on the southern banks of Lake Alqueva, which, at over 97 square miles in size, is the largest man-made lake in Europe. Nearby is the powerful Alqueva Dam, which provides water and power to much of the Alentejo Golden Plains. Not only does the marina at Amieira, Portel offer tourists the chance to rent boats and other water leisure vessels, it also allows people to experience Alqueva in a more relaxed manner -- by renting a houseboat.

Amieira, 7220-999 Portel

Portel Castle

Construction on the castle in Portel was started by King Dinis in the 13th century. As time went on, however, the castle had its defensive characteristics altered or removed, changing hands from the King to the Dukes of Braganca. Later, as Portel was bypassed when new roads were built, the castle was abandoned and fell into disrepair. The current owners, the House of Braganca Foundation, have funded renovation efforts, with the first beginning in the 1980s and continuing on until 1998.

Rua dos Arcos, 7220 Portel