Proença-a-Nova
Encyclopedia
Proença-a-Nova is a municipality in Portugal
with a total area of 395.3 km² and a total population of 9,610 inhabitants.
The municipality is composed of six parishes and is located in the district of Castelo Branco
.
The present mayor is João Paulo Catarino, elected by the Socialist Party
.
The municipal holiday is June 13.
times when it was called Cortiçada in the province of the Lusitani. This is corroborated by archaeological findings and the innumerable Latin names.
The name Cortiçada was abandoned in C.XVI in favour of Proença. Cortiçada perhaps related to the abundant production of cork oak (cortiça) or the number of tenement houses (colmeias) that had been of great importance in the region.
"The town of Proença, situated nine leagues
(35km) north of Crato, and seven (23km) west of Castelo Branco
, was chartered by King Afonzo III of Portugal
(1248-1279). The population was 150." (Padre C. da Costa, in Portuguese Corografia)."
Until the date of its first charter, by Afonso III, little is known about the village of Proença but it is believed that farming the low, fertile, well irrigated lands and hunting the abundant wildlife were the most important ways of subsistence.
The origin of name Proença-a-Nova (New Province) is unclear. The philological scholar Leite de Vasconcelos (Lusitana Magazine 1889, Portuguese Archaeologist 1895, and Museum Etnológico de Belém 1893, Religions of Lusitânia (1897–1913) ) thought that it related to Provence in France and that the inhabitants of Old Provence migrated to Lusitânia
. However, this theory has to compete with both the theoretical possibility that the Lusitani may have migrated from the Swiss mountains in the 6th century BCE, long before Julius Caesar
conquered and named Provence
/Provincia, and another theoretical possibility that they may be autochthonous
to the Iberian region.
The population was primitive until being given to the Monks of the Order of the Hospitallers, who collaborated with the first Kings to stabilise and defend the new lands. In 1244, the Prior of the Hospitallers, Frei Rodrigo Egídio, gave Proenca its first charter, a document of great importance establishing the general duties for its inhabitants and a guarantee of defense of rights.
In 1512 the first Proença charter was updated under the rule of King Manuel I of Portugal
.
After the abdication of Miguel of Portugal
in 1834, Proença became part of the District of Santarém, then in November 1835 part of Castelo Branco,
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...
with a total area of 395.3 km² and a total population of 9,610 inhabitants.
The municipality is composed of six parishes and is located in the district of Castelo Branco
Castelo Branco (district)
Castelo Branco District is located in Central Portugal, the district capital is Castelo Branco, which is now also the most populous city, although the city of Covilhã was once the largest city....
.
The present mayor is João Paulo Catarino, elected by the Socialist Party
Socialist Party (Portugal)
The Socialist Party , abbreviated to PS, is a social-democratic political party in Portugal. It was founded on 19 April 1973 in the German city of Bad Münstereifel, by militants from Portuguese Socialist Action ....
.
The municipal holiday is June 13.
Parishes
- Alvito da Beira
- Montes da Senhora
- Peral
- Proença-a-Nova
- São Pedro do Esteval
- Sobreira Formosa
History
Proença-a-Nova traces its origins to RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times when it was called Cortiçada in the province of the Lusitani. This is corroborated by archaeological findings and the innumerable Latin names.
The name Cortiçada was abandoned in C.XVI in favour of Proença. Cortiçada perhaps related to the abundant production of cork oak (cortiça) or the number of tenement houses (colmeias) that had been of great importance in the region.
"The town of Proença, situated nine leagues
League (unit)
A league is a unit of length . It was long common in Europe and Latin America, but it is no longer an official unit in any nation. The league originally referred to the distance a person or a horse could walk in an hour...
(35km) north of Crato, and seven (23km) west of Castelo Branco
Castelo Branco, Portugal
The city of Castelo Branco is made up of one parish with a population of 30,649.It is located in Castelo Branco Municipality in Castelo Branco District.-History and landmarks:...
, was chartered by King Afonzo III of Portugal
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...
(1248-1279). The population was 150." (Padre C. da Costa, in Portuguese Corografia)."
Until the date of its first charter, by Afonso III, little is known about the village of Proença but it is believed that farming the low, fertile, well irrigated lands and hunting the abundant wildlife were the most important ways of subsistence.
The origin of name Proença-a-Nova (New Province) is unclear. The philological scholar Leite de Vasconcelos (Lusitana Magazine 1889, Portuguese Archaeologist 1895, and Museum Etnológico de Belém 1893, Religions of Lusitânia (1897–1913) ) thought that it related to Provence in France and that the inhabitants of Old Provence migrated to Lusitânia
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...
. However, this theory has to compete with both the theoretical possibility that the Lusitani may have migrated from the Swiss mountains in the 6th century BCE, long before Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
conquered and named Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
/Provincia, and another theoretical possibility that they may be autochthonous
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
to the Iberian region.
The population was primitive until being given to the Monks of the Order of the Hospitallers, who collaborated with the first Kings to stabilise and defend the new lands. In 1244, the Prior of the Hospitallers, Frei Rodrigo Egídio, gave Proenca its first charter, a document of great importance establishing the general duties for its inhabitants and a guarantee of defense of rights.
In 1512 the first Proença charter was updated under the rule of King Manuel I of Portugal
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...
.
After the abdication of 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....
in 1834, Proença became part of the District of Santarém, then in November 1835 part of Castelo Branco,