The town of Vila Viçosa, in Évora district in the Alentejo, is best known as the residence from the sixteenth century of the Dukes of Braganza, the family that took the throne of Portugal in 1640. With about 7,500 people in its municipality, it is called the "princess of the Alentejo" for the elegance of its squares and palaces, built with white and pink marble from nearby quarries. The name means "lush town", a reference to its fertile countryside.
A little history
After the Christian reconquest of the thirteenth century, Vila Viçosa received its charter from King Afonso III and in the fifteenth century became part of the lands of the House of Braganza. In 1501 Duke Jaime had a great new palace built here, which became the family's main residence. The eighth duke, John, was acclaimed king in 1640 as John IV, after sixty years of union with Spain: from then on the Braganzas reigned until 1910, and many of the palace's furnishings were moved to the royal residences in Lisbon, but Vila Viçosa remained their hunting and holiday retreat. The last king, Carlos I, spent his final night here before being assassinated in Lisbon in 1908.
The Ducal Palace
The Paço Ducal, whose long marble facade fills one side of the Terreiro do Paço, is one of Portugal's most beautiful monuments. It is now run by the House of Braganza Foundation and visited on guided tours through the royal apartments, the chapel, the library and the kitchen, with hundreds of gleaming copper pots and utensils. Among the finest rooms is the Sala dos Duques, whose ceiling is decorated with portraits of the Dukes of Braganza painted by the Italian Domenico Dupra and whose walls are hung with Flemish tapestries telling the story of Achilles. The palace also holds collections of porcelain, weapons, carriages and a museum devoted to Queen Amélia. In the middle of the square stands the equestrian statue of John IV.
Churches, castle and gates
The sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, inside the castle, houses the statue of the Virgin that John IV proclaimed queen and patroness of Portugal in 1646: from then on Portuguese kings no longer wore the crown. The church of the Agostinhos is the pantheon of the Dukes of Braganza, while the sixteenth-century Convento das Chagas de Cristo holds the tombs of the duchesses and is now a pousada.
The castle, built by King Dinis and turned into a modern fortress in the sixteenth century, now houses an archaeological museum and a hunting museum. A curiosity is the Porta do Nó, an old marble gate in the walls decorated with a carved knot, a symbol of the Braganzas. The Marble Museum, in the old railway station, tells the story of quarrying and working marble, still the area's main economic activity.
Surroundings
Vila Viçosa forms the marble triangle with Estremoz and Borba: the huge open-cast quarries, which can be visited on guided tours, are an impressive sight. Borba is also famous for its wines. To the south, Alandroal keeps a thirteenth-century castle built by the knights of the Order of Avis, while Terena is a small fortified village. To the west, Redondo is known for pottery, wine and megalithic monuments. Vila Viçosa is reached by car from Lisbon (about two hours) or from Évora.