Sobral de Monte Agraço
Encyclopedia
Sobral de Monte Agraço is a municipality in Portugal
with a total area of 52.1 km² and a total population of 9789.
The municipality is composed of 3 parishes, and is located in the District of Lisbon.
The present Mayor is António Lopes Bogalho, elected by the Unitarian Democratic Coalition
.
, Sobral was on the Lines of Torres Vedras
, a line of forts planned by the Duke of Wellington to protect Lisbon
. In October 1810, a French army led by André Masséna
approached the Lines, finding that the Portuguese had subjected the area in front of them to a scorched earth
policy. After a skirmish at Sobral on October 14, the French found they could go no further. Charles Oman
writes "On that misty October 14th morning, at Sobral, the Napoleonic tide attained its highest watermark."
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 52.1 km² and a total population of 9789.
The municipality is composed of 3 parishes, and is located in the District of Lisbon.
The present Mayor is António Lopes Bogalho, elected by the Unitarian Democratic Coalition
Unitarian Democratic Coalition
The Democratic Unity Coalition is an electoral and political coalition between the Portuguese Communist Party and the Ecologist Party "The Greens"...
.
History
During the Peninsular WarPeninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
, Sobral was on the Lines of Torres Vedras
Lines of Torres Vedras
The Lines of Torres Vedras were lines of forts built in secrecy to defend Lisbon during the Peninsular War. Named after the nearby town of Torres Vedras, they were ordered by Arthur Wellesley, Viscount Wellington, constructed by Sir Richard Fletcher, 1st Baronet and his Portuguese workers between...
, a line of forts planned by the Duke of Wellington to protect 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...
. In October 1810, a French army led by André Masséna
André Masséna
André Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
approached the Lines, finding that the Portuguese had subjected the area in front of them to a scorched earth
Scorched earth
A scorched earth policy is a military strategy or operational method which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area...
policy. After a skirmish at Sobral on October 14, the French found they could go no further. Charles Oman
Charles Oman
Sir Charles William Chadwick Oman was a British military historian of the early 20th century. His reconstructions of medieval battles from the fragmentary and distorted accounts left by chroniclers were pioneering...
writes "On that misty October 14th morning, at Sobral, the Napoleonic tide attained its highest watermark."
Monuments
- St. Salvador Chapel - 13th century RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque 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 - Sobral Main Church - 16th century RenaissanceRenaissance architectureRenaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
style - São Quintino Church - 16th-17th century ManuelineManuelineThe Manueline, or Portuguese late Gothic, is the sumptuous, composite Portuguese style of architectural ornamentation of the first decades of the 16th century, incorporating maritime elements and representations of the discoveries brought from the voyages of Vasco da Gama and Pedro Álvares Cabral...
and Renaissance styles - Our Lady of Purification Church - 16th century Renaissance style
- Town Hall and ancient jail - 18th century
- Lines of Torres Alqueidão Fort - 19th century
- Cine-Theater - 20th century Art DecoArt DecoArt deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style
Parishes
- São Quintino
- Sapataria
- Sobral de Monte Agraço