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Évora (pron. IPA 'ɛvuɾɐ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 1,307.0 km² and a total population of 55,619 inhabitants. It is the seat of the district of Évora and capital of the Alentejo region. The municipality is composed of 19 parishes, and is located in the District of Évora.
Évora was ranked first in a study concerning competitiveness of the 18 Portuguese district capitals - according to a study made by Minho University economic researchers and published in Público newspaper on 30th September 2006.
The present Mayor is José Ernesto Oliveira elected by the Socialist Party. The municipal holiday is June 29.
History
The Alentejo Province is a region of wide plains to the south of the Tagus River (Rio Tejo, in Portuguese). In the heart of this region, at a distance of 130 km from Lisbon, lies the city of Évora. Due to the well-preserved old town centre, still partially enclosed by mediaeval walls, with its large number of monuments dating from various historical periods, Évora is included in UNESCO's World Heritage list.
Évora has a history dating back more than two millennia. It was known as Ebora by the Lusitanians, who made the town their regional capital. The Romans conquered the town in 57 B.C. and expanded it into a walled town. Vestiges from this period (city walls and ruins of Roman baths) still remain. Julius Caesar called it Liberalitas Julia (Julian generosity). The city grew in importance because it lied on the junction of several important routes. During his travels through Gaul and Lusitania, Pliny the Elder also visited this town and mentioned it in his book Naturalis Historia as Ebora Cerealis, because of its many surrounding wheatfields. In those days Évora became a flourishing city. Its high rank among municipalities in Romaoman Spain is clearly shown by many inscriptions and coins. The monumental Corinthian temple in the centre of the town, dates from the 1st century and was probably erected in honour of emperor Augustus. In the fourth century, the town had already a bishop, named Quintianus.
During the barbarian invasions, Evora came under the rule of the Visigothic king Leovirgild in 584. The town was later raised to the status of a cathedral city. Nevertheless this was a time of decline and very few artefacts from this period remain.
In 715, the city was conquered by Moors under Tariq ibn-Ziyad who called it Yeborah. During their rule (715-1165) the town slowly began to prosper again and developed into an agricultural centre with a fortress and a mosque. The present character of the city is evidence of the moorish influence.
Évora was wrested from the Moors through a surprise attack by Gerald the Fearless (Geraldo Sem Pavor) in September 1165. The town came under the rule of the Portuguese king Afonso I in 1166. It then flourished as one of the most dynamic cities in the Kingdom of Portugal during the Middle Ages, especially in the 15th century. The court of the first and second dynasties resided here for long periods, constructing palaces, monuments and religious. Évora became the scene for many royal weddings and a site where many important decisions were made.
Particularly thriving during the Avis Dynasty (1385-1580), especially under the reign of Manuel I and John III, Évora became a major centre for the humanities (André de Resende - buried in the cathedral) and artists, such as the sculptor Nicolau Chanterene, the painters Cristóvão de Figueiredo and Gregório Lopes, the chronicler Duarte Galvão and the father of Portuguese drama Gil Vicente.
The city became the seat of an archbishopric in 1540. The university was founded by the Jesuits in 1559, and it was here that great European Masters such as the Flemish humanists Nicolaus Clenardus (Nicolaas Cleynaerts) (1493-1542), Johannes Vasaeus (Jan Was) (1511-1561) and the theologian Luis de Molina passed on their knowledge. In the 18th century, the Jesuits, which had spread intellectual and religious enlightenment since the 16th century, were expelled from Portugal, the university was closed in 1759 by the Marquis of Pombal and Évora went into decline. The university was only reopened in 1973.
The many monuments erected by major artists of each period now testify to Évora's lively cultural and rich artistic and historical heritage. The variety of architectural styles (Romanesque, Gothic, Manueline, Renaissance, Baroque), the palaces and the picturesque labirinth of squares and narrow streets of the city centre are all part of the rich heritage of this museum-city.
Today, the historical centre has about 4000 buildings and an area of 1.05 km².
City/Town : Latitude: 38.55, Longitude: -7.95Matches 1 to 1 of 1
Last Name, Given Name(s)  |
Birth  |
Person ID | Tree | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  de Portugal, Isabella | 1397 | I96813 | savenije |
Matches 1 to 1 of 1
| Last Name, Given Name(s) |
Christening |
Person ID | Tree | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | de Portugal, Isabella | 21 Feb 1397 | I96813 | savenije |
Matches 1 to 1 of 1
| Last Name, Given Name(s) |
Death |
Person ID | Tree | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | de Portugal, Isabella | 02 Dec 1455 | I96909 | savenije |
Matches 1 to 1 of 1
| Family |
Marriage |
Family ID | Tree | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal / Aragón | 24 Nov 1490 | F39757 | savenije |
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