Attractions and Places To See around Alcáçovas - Top 20

Starting from the rehabilitation of traditional village houses and based on a concept of comfort/charm accommodation, this project has positively changed the face of the village of S. Brás do Regedouro, whose historical roots are based on the fact that it was an old support area for travelers at the natural crossroads between the interior and the coast of Alentejo. Initiated in 2019, "S. Brás do Regedouro Turismo na Aldeia" was born from the desire of the Ribeiro family, originally from Lisbon, who decided to invest in an innovative concept of rural tourism that interconnects with the local reality. The preservation of the urbanistic and architectural features characteristic of the typical Alentejan rural village was taken into account as a mandatory condition, as well as respect for the traditional and cultural values of the inhabitants, who continue to feel at home. In this context lies the underlying proposal of the project: to offer guests a rural experience in a space with history and in direct contact with local residents.

Located within the Paço dos Henriques complex, the Chapel of Our Lady of the Conception and the Shell Garden are, for me, the main reason to visit this place. Initially dedicated to Saint Jerome, the Chapel of Our Lady of the Conception was rebuilt in the 17th century, entirely covered in shells. In total, there are about 26 species of shells, creating an extraordinary visual effect. In the past, there was also a water circuit that started at the well and followed the aqueduct to the tank. A true ode to the sea in the Alentejo interior.

Alcáçovas is a Portuguese town and seat of the parish of Alcáçovas in the municipality of Viana do Alentejo. The parish has an area of 268.13 km² and 1931 inhabitants (2021 census), giving it a population density of 7.2 inhabitants/km². It was a town and seat of a municipality between 1258 and 1836. This municipality consisted only of the parish of the seat and had 1613 inhabitants in 1801. It was the site of the signing of the Treaty of Alcáçovas-Toledo on September 4, 1479. The art of cowbell making has existed in the town of Alcáçovas since time immemorial.

The former parish church of Santa Maria de Alcáçovas, founded in 1308 by the Bishop of Évora, D. Fernando II, underwent further renovations in the 16th century, in the Renaissance and Mannerist style, and received a Baroque decorative program in the mid-18th century. With several elements comparable to the Church of the Holy Spirit in Évora, the parish church of Alcáçovas features a rectangular plan with three naves. A total of eight chapels attest to local devotions: Our Lady of the Rosary, Our Lady of Remedies, Our Lord Jesus of Pereira, and the chapel that serves as the Pantheon to the Henrys of Trastâmara, Lords and Donataries of the town of Alcáçovas on the left elevation; on the right elevation, Saint Anthony, Saint John the Evangelist, Saint Michael, and Saint Francis Xavier. The decorative richness of the chancel is noteworthy: the stone coffered vault, the polychrome tiles covering the elevations and the Mannerist-style main altarpiece, in gilded and polychrome carving, attributed to the Évora master Sebastião Vaz (1640), which once housed a painting representing “Christ the Savior” (1712) in the center.

Place where the Peace Treaty of Alcáçovas was signed in 1479, between the kingdom of Portugal and the kingdom of Castile.

Garden and Chapel of Shells. The Chapel of Shells or Chapel of Our Lady of the Conception is a chapel located in the historic town of Alcáçovas, in Portugal. Built in the 17th and 18th centuries, it has the unique feature of having a façade and altar decorated with shells. The shells, which give the chapel its name, also adorn the adjacent garden, which can be entered through a tower with an interior covered in shells and shards of old porcelain. One of the walls of the chapel, in the garden area, is completely covered with an unusual panel of colourful designs made with shells.

The Igreja Matriz de São Salvador, built on a primitive Gothic temple founded in 1308 by the Bishop of Évora, D. Fernando III, was actually built in 1530-1531, under the auspices of Cardinal-Infante D. Afonso, Bishop of Évora. The building, in Renaissance architecture, is the archetype of a hall church, in the Hallenkirchen style, with a rectangular floor plan, and is divided into three naves and five sections supported by powerful Doric granite columns. The three naves are preceded by a choir with three arcades protected by a balustrade. The side naves have eight chapels, including the primitive chapel of the Gothic temple, in addition to the baptistery in the lower part of the upper choir. The central nave has a presbytery with a perfect round arch and a quadrangular floor plan. This is preceded by a carved wooden tribune, with a sacrarium in the lower part, which dates back to the end of the 17th century. The front of this building opens onto a vast churchyard centred by the cross, where it is worth taking a moment to enjoy the vastness of the plain or to glimpse its sober and, at the same time, sumptuous main elevation. It consists of three portals, which connect with the interior, adorned with grey stucco ornaments, false windows, recessed windows, lunettes, pediments and bonfires and a central balcony. The two towers rise from granite stone, the same stone that reinforces the Doric pillars of the same elevation, topped by slender tips that disappear into the immense sky that greets them. The Igreja Matriz de São Salvador, classified as a Property of Public Interest, is today a treasure to be discovered and known by all those who visit the region and especially the town of Alcáçovas, which holds a vast cultural heritage.

Paço dos Henriques (Henriques’s Palace), which is now owned by the Portuguese State and has been classified as a Building of Public Interest since 1993, belonged to the last lords of the town of Alcáçovas. According to tradition and local belief, this was once a royal palace, Ordered to be built by the Portuguese king Dom Dinis. This is a Place of Peace because it was there that took place the signature of the Alcáçovas-Toledo Treaty (also known as Alcáçovas’s Peace), that ended the Sucession War of Castile (1475-1479), where Afonso V of Portugal renounced the throne of Castile and King Fernando of Castile renounced the throne of Portugal. This Treaty also solved some issues related with the “new lands” discovered in the Atlantic Ocean, dividing them formally between Portugal and Castile. This explains the reason why this building is so important and emblematic, not only for Alcáçovas’ history, but for Portugal and the rest of the world.