Viana do Castelo - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Viana do Castelo is a municipality

Municipalities of Portugal

In Portugal, municipality or concelho is the most stable subdivision of Portugal since the foundation of the country.Portugal has an entirely separate system of cities and towns. Cities and towns are located in municipalities, but often do not have the same boundaries, even if built-up is continuous...

and seat of the Viana do Castelo District in the Norte Region of Portugal

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...

. The city proper has 36,148 (INE, 2001) inhabitants and the municipality has a total population of 91,238 inhabitants (2006) over a total area of 318.6 km².

It is located at the mouth of the Lima River.

History

King Afonso 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...

founded the town in 1253 in the name of Viana. In the 16th century, its port gained great importance as one of the main ports from which Portuguese explorers set sail, due to the discoveries

Age of Discovery

The Age of Discovery, also known as the Age of Exploration and the Great Navigations , was a period in history starting in the early 15th century and continuing into the early 17th century during which Europeans engaged in intensive exploration of the world, establishing direct contacts with...

. The most remarkable buildings in the town are from this era. Its traditional folklore is among the richest in the country.

Demographics

Pop. Viana do Castelo Municipality (1801–2009)
1801	1849	1900	1930	1960	1981	1991	2001	2008	2009
17 889	36 084	47 311	53 380	75 320	81 009	83 095	88 631	91 362	91 460

Parishes

Afife
Afife
Afife is a civil parish located in the Portuguese municipality of Viana do Castelo. As of the 2001 census, Afife had a population of 1,632 and covered 13.03 km² .-History:...
Alvarães
Amonde
Anha
Areosa
Areosa
Areosa is a parish located on the Portuguese municipality of Viana do Castelo. On the 2001 census, Areosa had a total population of 4 485. The total area is 11,22 km² which gives a population density of 399,7 inhabitants per km²....

(Viana do Castelo)
Barroselas
Cardielos
Carreço
Carvoeiro
Castelo do Neiva
Chafé
Darque (Viana do Castelo)
Deão
Deocriste
Freixieiro de Soutelo
Lanheses
Mazarefes
Meadela (Viana do Castelo)
Meixedo
Monserrate (Viana do Castelo)
Montaria
Moreira de Geraz do Lima
Mujães
Neiva
Nogueira
Outeiro
(São Gil de) Perre
Portela Susã
Santa Marta de Portuzelo
Santa Leocádia de Geraz do Lima
Santa Maria de Geraz do Lima
Santa Maria Maior (Viana do Castelo)
Serreleis
Subportela
Torre
Vila de Punhe
Vila Franca
Vila Fria
Vila Mou
Vilar de Murteda

Economy

The city has a seaport with naval repairing facilities. Its major industry is naval construction and its shipyard is the only one still working in Portugal.

Main sights

Mother Church (15th century), in 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. The façade is flanked by two large towers with merlons at the top, while in the middle is a Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....

portal with archivolt
Archivolt
An archivolt is an ornamental molding or band following the curve on the underside of an arch. It is composed of bands of ornamental moldings surrounding an arched opening, corresponding to the architrave in the case of a rectangular opening...

s decorated by sculptures of the Passion of Christ and of the Apostles. The interior is on the Latin cross plan, with a nave and two aisles, spearated by arches supported by pillars. The chapels of St. Bernard and of the Holy Sacrament are attributed to João Lopes the Elder.
Cathedral
Geraz do Lima carriage museum
Geraz do Lima Carriage museum
Geraz do Lima Carriage Museum is a museum in Geraz do Lima, Viana do Castelo, Portugal dedicated to Carriage.It contains equine-related artifacts and artwork, as well as over 50 antique horse-drawn carriages from Europe and Americas.-Gallery:...
Castelo do Neiva: the castle has been owned by the parish of Viana do Castelo since the beginning of the 19th century.
The so-called "Mercy" is a Flemish-style edifice from 1589
Renaissance fountain (1535) in the Major Square
Church of Sâo Domingos (1576)
Church of Santa Luzia (19th century), designed by Miguel Ventura Terra
Miguel Ventura Terra
Miguel Ventura Terra was a Portuguese architect.Ventura Terra studied in Porto and later in the École de Beaux-Arts of Paris in the atelier of Victor Laloux...
Palacio de Tavoras, a noble residence from the 16th-17th centuries
Nossa Senhora da Agonia, church in Roccoco style
Paços do Conselho ("Palace of the Council", 1502), of which only the façade remains today
Municipal Museum, housed in a 18th century building and home to
Monument to Caramuru
Caramuru
Diogo Álvares Correia , called Caramuru by the Tupinambá, was a Portuguese settler born in Viana do Castelo. He departed for Brazil in 1509, and his ship wrecked in the coast of Bahia, Diogo Álvares found himself among the Tupinamba Indians...

and Paraguaçu by Jose Rodrigues at the Republic square.

Nearby is the Santiago da Barra Fort.

External links

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