Attractions and Places To See around Montemor-O-Novo - Top 20

Cromeleque dos Almendres, located near Évora, is the largest and most important megalithic monument in the Iberian Peninsula. Built between the late 6th and 3rd millennium BC, it is about 2000 years older than Stonehenge. VisitEvora +3 This "Portuguese Stonehenge" is composed of about 95 granite monoliths (menhirs) arranged in circles and ellipses on a gentle slope in the Serra do Monfurado. VisitEvora +1

The Cromeleque dos Almendres, located in Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe, Évora, is the most important megalithic monument on the Iberian Peninsula and one of the largest in Europe. Composed of about 95 stone monoliths (menhirs) arranged in concentric circles, this enclosure is about 2,000 years older than the famous Stonehenge. 👍🥾

Arraiolos rugs (tapetes de Arraiolos) are embroidered Portuguese needlework rugs traditionally crafted by hand in the town of Arraiolos, north of Évora, in Portugal. The Arraiolos rug technique is a form of cross-stitch that completely covers the linen foundation. Early Arraiolos rugs utilized designs derived from the Persians by way of the Moors, from whom the Portuguese learned the craft. By 1410, there were about 100 carpet workshops in Lisbon, but by 1551 persecution of the Moors had reduced the number to 6. Convent workshops continued to produce rugs replacing the early Persian designs with Portuguese folk-art patterns in more limited colors. By latter part of the 19th century, the making of Arraiolos rugs practically did not exist, being reduced to embroiderers that made rugs to order or for their own household. A workshop founded in 1916 in Évora helped revive the faltering industry; it is now regulated by a professional organization.

Montemor-o-Novo Castle is located in the parish of Nossa Senhora da Vila, in the municipality of Montemor-o-Novo, in the district of Évora, in Alentejo, Portugal. In a dominant position on the highest hill in the region, the castle originally sheltered the village within its walls, which, as it developed, expanded along the slope to the north. Historical documents confirm that Vasco da Gama finalized his plans for his voyage to India in this castle. Background The earliest human occupation of this site possibly dates back to a prehistoric Romanized fort, according to the abundant archaeological evidence in the region. This was where the Roman roads from Santarém and the mouth of the River Tagus met, continuing via Évora to Mérida. The site would have been fortified for this reason. Centuries later, during the Muslim invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, the name Almançor remained in the region, in the toponymy of the Almansor river. Some authors claim that there was also a Muslim fortification here. The medieval castle During the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the town was conquered by Portuguese forces under the command of D. Sancho I (1185-1211). With a view to repopulating and defending it, the sovereign granted it a Charter in 1203. It is believed that the construction of the medieval castle began at this stage. During the reign of D. Dinis (1279-1325), major reforms were undertaken to the town's defences, including the construction of the town's fence, which was completed in 1365. Once the Avis dynasty was established, the domain of Montemor-o-Novo became a third part of the lordship of Constable D. Nuno Álvares Pereira. Throughout the 15th century, the castle underwent renovation work, carried out by master stonemason Afonso Mendes de Oliveira. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the town reached its greatest prosperity, due not only to regional trade, but also to the fact that the Court remained for long periods in Évora, which made the town the scene of events such as the Cortes of 1495, when King Manuel I (1495-1521) decided to discover the sea route to India. This sovereign granted the town a new charter in 1503. Later, under the reign of King Sebastian (1557-1578), it was granted the title of Notable Town (1563), considering it to be an ancient place with a large population.

The original entrance to Quinta das Glicínias, on the north side, overlooking the Água da Prata Aqueduct, consists of a stone doorway and a circular pediment centred by an opulent granite scallop and side pilasters ending in stylised beams. It dates from 1766 and its railing is made of wrought iron. This gate led to a long, dark tunnel of trees with cedars, carob trees and laurels, some of which are centuries old, flanked by benches for resting. Quinta das Glicínias is a manor house built on the back of one of the gentle plateaus of S. Bento de Cástris, overlooking the extinct Cistercian convent of that name. It is very beautiful and comfortable and the view from its terraces of the city and neighbouring fields is unparalleled in the entire suburban area of Évora. It was the property of the Palhas heirs, descendants of Rui Palha, whose daughter, D. Bianca de Almeida, had a manor house within the walls, on the site where Cardinal-King D. Henrique founded, in 1578, the College of S. Paulo, of the Congregation of the hermits of Serra de Ossa. The current house, from the time of D. José, seems to have been founded by the prebendary canon of the Cathedral, António Pereira Palha, a priest of great local prestige.

Symbol of Montemor-o-Novo

This route, along the deactivated Ramal de Mora, not only allows you to visit cultural points of interest in the city of Évora, whose historic centre was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but also allows you to enjoy the magnificent landscape of the typical Alentejo plain, predominantly made up of montado and olive groves, on a route that is almost always in a rural environment, providing direct contact with nature. A short detour and a visit to Arraiolos, a town famous for its hand-made carpets, is essential, as is a stop in the village of Graça do Divor, where it is worth visiting the old houses. This Eco-track is part of the Great Montado Route, under the responsibility of CIMAC – Intermunicipal Community of Central Alentejo, which will allow the inclusion of almost 184.805 km of deactivated railway lines (Reguengos Branch, Vila Viçosa Branch, Montemor Branch, Mora Branch and Évora Line) in the Great Montado Route, in a process that includes 9 of the 14 municipalities of Central Alentejo (Arraiolos, Borba, Estremoz, Évora, Montemor-o-Novo, Mora, Redondo, Reguengos de Monsaraz and Vila Viçosa).

Montemor-o-Novo Castle is the original site of the medieval town of Montemor-o-Novo. This castle was conquered from the Moors by order of D. Afonso Henriques, and its current walls were built during the reign of D. Dinis. It was gradually abandoned by the population from the 15th century onwards, and today it preserves important testimonies of the medieval and modern history of Montemor-o-Novo, such as sections of the wall, the Paço dos Alcaides, the Church of Santiago (currently the Castle Interpretation Centre), the Church of Santa Maria do Bispo, the Clock Tower, the Porta da Vila, the Porta do Anjo, the Torre da Má Hora and the Convento da Saudação. (Source: https://www.feriasemportugam.com)