Loriga
Encyclopedia
Loriga is a civil parish in south-central part of the municipality of Seia, in central Portugal
. Part of the district of Guarda
, it is 20 km away from the city of Seia
, 40 km away from Viseu
, 80 km away from Guarda and 320 km from Lisbon
, nestled in the Serra da Estrela mountain range. In 2005, estimates have the resident population at about 1367 inhabitants, in an area of 36.25 km² that includes the two localities/villages of Loriga and Fontão.
When the Romans arrived in the region, the settlement was concentrated into two areas. The larger, older and principal agglomeration was situated in the area of the main church and Rua de Viriato, fortified with a wall and palisade
. The second group, in the Bairro de São Ginês, were some small homes constructed on the rocky promintory, which were later appropriated by the Visigoth
s in order to construct a chapel. The 1st century Roman road and two bridges (the second was destroyed in the 17th century after flooding) connected the outpost of Lorica to the rest of their Lusitania
n province. The barrio of São Ginês (São Gens), a local ex-libris, is the location of the chapel of Nossa Senhora do Carmo, an ancient Visigoth
ic chapel. São Gens, a Celt
ic saint, martyred in Arles na Gália, during the reign of Emperor Diocletian
, and over time the locals began to refer to this saint as São Ginês, due to its easy of pronunciation.
s in 1136 (João Rhânia, master of the Terras de Loriga for over two decades, during the reign of Afonso Henriques), 1249 (during the reign of Afonso III
), 1474 (under King Afonso V
) and finally in 1514 (by King Manuel I
).
Loriga was an ecclesiastical parish of the vicarage
of the Royal Padroado
and its Matriz Church was ordered constructed in 1233, by King Sancho II
. This church, was to the invokation of Santa Maria Maior, and constructed over the ancient small Visigothic chapel (there is a lateral block with Visigoth inscriptions visible). Constructed in the Romanesque
-style it consists of a three-nave building, with hints of the Sé Velha of Coimbra. This structure was destroyed during the 1755 earthquake
, and only portions of the lateral walls were preserved.
actually visited Loriga to evaluate the damage (something that did not happen in other mountainous parishes, even Covilhã
) and provide support.
The residents of Loriga supported the Asolutionist forces of the Infante Miguel of Portugal
against the Liberals, during the Portuguese Liberal Wars
, which resulted in Loriga being abandoned politically after Miguel's explusion by his brother King Peter. In 1855, as a consequence of its support, it was stripped of municipal status during the municipal reforms of the 19th century. At the time of its municipal demise (October 1855), the municipality of Loriga included the parishes of Alvoco da Serra, Cabeça, Sazes da Beira, Teixeira, Valezim and Vide, as well as thirty other disincorporated villages.
Loriga was an industrial centre for textile manufacturing during the 19th century. It was one of the few industrialized centres in the Beira Interior region, even supplanting Seia until the middle of the 20th century. Only Covilhã out-preformed Loriga in terms of businesses operating from its lands; companies such as Regato, Redondinha, Fonte dos Amores, Tapadas, Fândega, Leitão & Irmãos, Augusto Luís Mendes, Lamas, Nunes Brito, Moura Cabral and Lorimalhas, among others. The main roadway in Loriga, Avenida Augusto Luís Mendes, is named for one of the villages most illustrious industrialists. The wool industry started to decline during the last decades of the 20th century, a factor that aggravated and accelerated the decline of the region.
. It is located in the south-central part of the municipality of Seia, along the southeast part of the Serra, between several ravines, but specifically the Ribeira de São Bento and Ribeira da Nave; it is 20 kilometres from Seia, 80 kilometres from Guarda and 300 kilometres from the national capital (Lisbon). A main village is accessible by the national roadway E.N. 231, that connects directly to the region of the Serra da Estrela by way of E.N.338 (which was completed in 2006), or through the E.N.339, a 9.2 kilometre access that transits some of the main elevations (960 metres near Portela do Arão or Portela de Loriga, and 1650 metres around the Lagoa Comprida).
The region is carved by U-shaped glacial valleys, modelled by the movement of ancient glaciers. The main valley, Vale de Loriga was carved by longitudanal abrasion that also created rounded pockets, where the glacial resistance was minor. Starting at an altitude of 1991 metres along the Serra da Estrela the valley descends abruptly until 290 metres above sea level (around Vide), passing villages such as Cabeça, Casal do Rei and Muro. The central village, Loriga, is seven kilometres from Torre
(the highest point), but the parish is sculpted by cliffs, alluvial plains and glacial lakes deposited during millennia of glacial erosion, and surrounded by rare ancient forest that surrounded the lateral flanks of these glaciers.
Textile
s are the principal local export; Loriga was a hub the textile and wool
industries during the mid-19th century, in addition to being subsistence agriculture responsible for the cultivation of corn. The Loriguense economy is based on metallurgical industries, bread-making, commercial shops, restaurants and agricultural support services.
While that textile industry has since dissipated, the town began to attract a tourist trade due to its proximity to the Serra da Estrela and Vodafone Ski Resort
(the only ski center in Portugal), which was constructed within the parish limits.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. Part of the district of Guarda
Guarda (district)
The district of Guarda is located in the Centro Region of Portugal, except Vila Nova de Foz Côa, which is in the Norte Region. The district capital and most populous city is Guarda.-Municipalities:The district is contains 14 municipalities:...
, it is 20 km away from the city of Seia
Seia
Seia Municipality is located in Guarda District in Portugal. It has a total area of 435.7 km² and a total population of 27,574 inhabitants. Its urban population is about 7,000...
, 40 km away from Viseu
Viseu
Viseu is both a city and a municipality in the Dão-Lafões Subregion of Centro Region, Portugal. The municipality, with an area of 507.1 km², has a population of 99,593 , and the city proper has 47,250...
, 80 km away from Guarda and 320 km from Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, nestled in the Serra da Estrela mountain range. In 2005, estimates have the resident population at about 1367 inhabitants, in an area of 36.25 km² that includes the two localities/villages of Loriga and Fontão.
History
Loriga was founded originally along a column between ravines where today the historic centre exists. The site was ostensibly selected more than 2600 years ago, owing to its defensibility, the abundance of potable water and pasturelands, and lowlands that provided conditions to practice both hunting and gathering/agriculture.When the Romans arrived in the region, the settlement was concentrated into two areas. The larger, older and principal agglomeration was situated in the area of the main church and Rua de Viriato, fortified with a wall and palisade
Palisade
A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.- Typical construction :Typical construction consisted of small or mid sized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were...
. The second group, in the Bairro de São Ginês, were some small homes constructed on the rocky promintory, which were later appropriated by the Visigoth
Visigoth
The Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths, the Ostrogoths being the other. These tribes were among the Germans who spread through the late Roman Empire during the Migration Period...
s in order to construct a chapel. The 1st century Roman road and two bridges (the second was destroyed in the 17th century after flooding) connected the outpost of Lorica to the rest of their Lusitania
Lusitania
Lusitania or Hispania Lusitania was an ancient Roman province including approximately all of modern Portugal south of the Douro river and part of modern Spain . It was named after the Lusitani or Lusitanian people...
n province. The barrio of São Ginês (São Gens), a local ex-libris, is the location of the chapel of Nossa Senhora do Carmo, an ancient Visigoth
Visigoth
The Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths, the Ostrogoths being the other. These tribes were among the Germans who spread through the late Roman Empire during the Migration Period...
ic chapel. São Gens, a Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic saint, martyred in Arles na Gália, during the reign of Emperor Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
, and over time the locals began to refer to this saint as São Ginês, due to its easy of pronunciation.
Middle Ages
Loriga was the municipal seat since the 12th century, receiving foralForal
thumb|left|200px|Foral of Castro Verde - PortugalThe word foral derives from the Portuguese word foro, ultimately from Latin forum, equivalent to Spanish fuero, Galician foro, Catalan furs and Basque foru ....
s in 1136 (João Rhânia, master of the Terras de Loriga for over two decades, during the reign of Afonso Henriques), 1249 (during the reign of Afonso III
Afonso III of Portugal
Afonso III , or Affonso , Alfonso or Alphonso or Alphonsus , the Bolognian , the fifth King of Portugal and the first to use the title King of Portugal and the Algarve, from 1249...
), 1474 (under King Afonso V
Afonso V of Portugal
Afonso V KG , called the African , was the twelfth King of Portugal and the Algarves. His sobriquet refers to his conquests in Northern Africa.-Early life:...
) and finally in 1514 (by King Manuel I
Manuel I of Portugal
Manuel I , the Fortunate , 14th king of Portugal and the Algarves was the son of Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu, , by his wife, Infanta Beatrice of Portugal...
).
Loriga was an ecclesiastical parish of the vicarage
Vicary
Vicary may refer to:People with the given name Vicary:* Vicary Gibbs , English judge and politician* Vicary Gibbs, 6th Baron Aldenham , British peer...
of the Royal Padroado
Padroado
The Padroado , was an arrangement between the Holy See and the kingdom of Portugal, affirmed by a series of treaties, by which the Vatican delegated to the kings of Spain and Portugal the administration of the local Churches...
and its Matriz Church was ordered constructed in 1233, by King Sancho II
Sancho II of Portugal
Sancho II , nicknamed "the Pious" and "the Caped" or "the Capuched" , , fourth King of Portugal, was the eldest son of Afonso II of Portugal by his wife, Infanta Urraca of Castile...
. This church, was to the invokation of Santa Maria Maior, and constructed over the ancient small Visigothic chapel (there is a lateral block with Visigoth inscriptions visible). Constructed in the Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
-style it consists of a three-nave building, with hints of the Sé Velha of Coimbra. This structure was destroyed during the 1755 earthquake
1755 Lisbon earthquake
The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake, was a megathrust earthquake that took place on Saturday 1 November 1755, at around 9:40 in the morning. The earthquake was followed by fires and a tsunami, which almost totally destroyed Lisbon in the Kingdom of Portugal, and...
, and only portions of the lateral walls were preserved.
Monarchy
The 1755 earthquake resulted in significant damage to the village of Loriga, destroying homes and the parcochial residence, in addition to opening-up cracks and faults in the village's larger buildings, such as the historic municipal council hall (constructed in the 13th century). An emissary of the Marquess of PombalMarquess of Pombal
Count of Oeiras was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, dated from July 15, 1759, by King Joseph I of Portugal, and granted to Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, Head of the Portuguese Government....
actually visited Loriga to evaluate the damage (something that did not happen in other mountainous parishes, even Covilhã
Covilhã Municipality
-Parishes:* Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis* Aldeia do Souto* Barco* Boidobra* Canhoso* Cantar-Galo* Casegas* Conceição* Cortes do Meio* Coutada* Dominguizo* Erada* Ferro* Orjais* Ourondo* Paul* Peraboa* Peso* Santa Maria* São Jorge da Beira...
) and provide support.
The residents of Loriga supported the Asolutionist forces of the Infante Miguel of Portugal
Miguel of Portugal
Dom Miguel I, sometimes Michael , was the King of Portugal between 1828 and 1834, the seventh child and second son of King John VI and his queen, Charlotte of Spain....
against the Liberals, during the Portuguese Liberal Wars
Liberal Wars
The Liberal Wars, also known as the Portuguese Civil War, the War of the Two Brothers, or Miguelite War, was a war between progressive constitutionalists and authoritarian absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 1828 to 1834...
, which resulted in Loriga being abandoned politically after Miguel's explusion by his brother King Peter. In 1855, as a consequence of its support, it was stripped of municipal status during the municipal reforms of the 19th century. At the time of its municipal demise (October 1855), the municipality of Loriga included the parishes of Alvoco da Serra, Cabeça, Sazes da Beira, Teixeira, Valezim and Vide, as well as thirty other disincorporated villages.
Loriga was an industrial centre for textile manufacturing during the 19th century. It was one of the few industrialized centres in the Beira Interior region, even supplanting Seia until the middle of the 20th century. Only Covilhã out-preformed Loriga in terms of businesses operating from its lands; companies such as Regato, Redondinha, Fonte dos Amores, Tapadas, Fândega, Leitão & Irmãos, Augusto Luís Mendes, Lamas, Nunes Brito, Moura Cabral and Lorimalhas, among others. The main roadway in Loriga, Avenida Augusto Luís Mendes, is named for one of the villages most illustrious industrialists. The wool industry started to decline during the last decades of the 20th century, a factor that aggravated and accelerated the decline of the region.
Geography
Known locally as the "Portuguese Switzerland" due to its landscape that includes a principal settlement nestled in the mountains of the Serra da Estrela Natural ParkSerra da Estrela Natural Park
Serra da Estrela Natural Park is situated in the largest mountain range in Portugal - the Serra da Estrela, and is the source of the rivers Mondego, Zêzere , and Alva. The park is the largest natural conservation area in Portugal and occupies about 1,000 km². More than half of its area is located...
. It is located in the south-central part of the municipality of Seia, along the southeast part of the Serra, between several ravines, but specifically the Ribeira de São Bento and Ribeira da Nave; it is 20 kilometres from Seia, 80 kilometres from Guarda and 300 kilometres from the national capital (Lisbon). A main village is accessible by the national roadway E.N. 231, that connects directly to the region of the Serra da Estrela by way of E.N.338 (which was completed in 2006), or through the E.N.339, a 9.2 kilometre access that transits some of the main elevations (960 metres near Portela do Arão or Portela de Loriga, and 1650 metres around the Lagoa Comprida).
The region is carved by U-shaped glacial valleys, modelled by the movement of ancient glaciers. The main valley, Vale de Loriga was carved by longitudanal abrasion that also created rounded pockets, where the glacial resistance was minor. Starting at an altitude of 1991 metres along the Serra da Estrela the valley descends abruptly until 290 metres above sea level (around Vide), passing villages such as Cabeça, Casal do Rei and Muro. The central village, Loriga, is seven kilometres from Torre
Torre (Serra da Estrela)
Torre is a monument that marks the highest point of Mainland Portugal, and the second most elevated of the Portuguese Republic . This point is not a distinctive mountain summit, but rather the highest point in a mountain range...
(the highest point), but the parish is sculpted by cliffs, alluvial plains and glacial lakes deposited during millennia of glacial erosion, and surrounded by rare ancient forest that surrounded the lateral flanks of these glaciers.
Economy
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
s are the principal local export; Loriga was a hub the textile and wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
industries during the mid-19th century, in addition to being subsistence agriculture responsible for the cultivation of corn. The Loriguense economy is based on metallurgical industries, bread-making, commercial shops, restaurants and agricultural support services.
While that textile industry has since dissipated, the town began to attract a tourist trade due to its proximity to the Serra da Estrela and Vodafone Ski Resort
Vodafone Ski Resort
Vodafone Ski Resort is a ski resort located in a mountain range named Serra da Estrela, in the municipality of Seia, parish of Loriga, Portugal.-Description:...
(the only ski center in Portugal), which was constructed within the parish limits.