| SETÚBAL |
The River Sado empties at the city of Setúbal, which
has been a fish-salting centre since the 1st century.
After the Moorish invasions in the 4th century, it declined
and the sands moved in. The town really developed during the
Age of Discoveries when King Afonso V sailed from the port of
Setúbal in 1458 for Morocco, where he conquered Alcácer
Ceguer.
Setúbal became one of the country's most important commercial
and industrial centres in the 19th century and was elevated
to a city in 1860.
What to see. The most noteworthy monument in the city
is the 15th-century Church of Jesus, founded by Justa Rodrigues
Pereira, the nurse of King Manuel I. With its rope-like stone
ribs decorating the ceiling, it marks the beginning of the Manueline
style in Portugal. The monastic quarters adjacent to the church
house a museum that boasts the largest collection of 1500s paintings
in Portugal. Featuring impressive 18th-century azulejo glazed
tiles, the 16th-century cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria de
Graça was originally founded in the 13th century as a
small Renaissance-Gothic chapel. From the Fortress of São
Filipe on the top of a hill overlooking Setúbal, there
is a magnificent view of the river and the beautiful Tróia
peninsula. King Philip II of Spain visited Setúbal and
built the fort in 1582 after annexing Portugal. The star-shaped
bastion houses an exquisite small chapel tiled with scenes from
the life of São Filipe by Policarpo de Oliveira Bernardes,
a master tile-maker.
Nearby. Across the river from Setúbal stretch
the long golden beaches of the Tróia Peninsula, where
the Roman city of Cetóbriga lies beneath the sands after
being destroyed by an earthquake and subsequent tidal wave in
412 AD. The Convent of Arrábida located on one of the
hills in the Arrábida mountains has a magnificent view
of the sea. Comprising several chapels, a church and a number
of monks' cells, it was founded in 1542 by Franciscan friars
with the help of the 1st Duke of Aveiro. |
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| © 2007 Maisturismo |
