Évora - the patron city of the hunt

One of the country's most intriguing cities is located in the Alentejo region of southern Portugal. This is Évora, a small tourist center of great historical and cultural value.

Évora is neither as famous nor as crowded as, for example, Lisbon, 120 km away, but it undoubtedly has something to be proud of. History lovers will surely appreciate that this city is home to the cathedral where Vasco da Gama sacrificed banners before his trip to India. Tourists visiting Évora can see them inside the temple.

One building, many meanings

The city is surrounded by a medieval fortified wall, and its historic center is surrounded by buildings that are centuries younger. It is 2,000 years old, and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1986. We can find here an ancient market, as well as Templo Romano , the ruins of the temple of the goddess Diana - the patroness of hunting. The building is considered the best-preserved ancient sacred building in Portugal. It has the form of a platform with 14 granite columns.

According to various sources, the temple of the virgin hunter was renamed the place of worship of the Roman god Jupiter in the 2nd century AD. Then, along with the rest of the land, it fell under the rule of the Moors for a long time. Later it ran down with blood many times - in the Middle Ages it witnessed the murders of the Holy Inquisition, and at the end of the 19th century there was a slaughterhouse here.

Places that remember ...

Évora's main square, which is Gerald Square (Praça do Giraldo), also has a gloomy history. He bears the name of the city's liberator from the hands of the Moors, a knight called "the Fearless". Heaps of the Holy Inquisition burned on it, and cousin Dom Joao II, who was afraid of losing his throne, was executed here. In fear of taking power from him, the Portuguese king ordered his relative to be publicly executed.

One more place cannot be forgotten. It is a monument in which you can feel not so much bad, but very dark energy. We are talking about Capela dos Ossos - Chapel of Bones. In its case, the term "made on bones" should be understood literally, because it was built from the remains of several hundred monks buried in various cemeteries. It is 11 m wide and 18.7 m long. The chapel is adjacent to the Church of Saint Francis (Igreja de São Francisco), built in the Gothic Manueline style.

Temples, aqueduct and ...

An important monument in Évora is also the Água de Prata Aqueduct , built in the 16th century. In the past, it supplied the city with water, ending up at the central point, which is Gerald Square. About 9 kilometers of the aqueduct have been preserved to this day.

Archeology enthusiasts will surely be interested in a monument much older than churches and cathedrals. West of Évora is Cromlech Almendres , a complex of 95 megaliths arranged in an ellipse (probably from the period 2300-1500 BC). Some of them are up to 3 meters high, and some of the boulders have mysterious patterns carved into them.

Camping in the resort of Évora

As you can see, Évora is called a museum city for a reason. A tourist tired of wandering through narrow streets can spend the night in a hotel room or at a campsite, under the shade of trees. Just 2 km from the historic center is Orbitur Évora campsite , offering guests an overnight stay for around 30 euros. The price includes 2 adults, a place for a motorhome and WiFi access. The campsite has a swimming pool, playground, snack bar and shop where we can buy, among others fresh bread.

There is a bus stop right at the entrance, making it easy to get to the city. In the evening, Évora begins a second life. You can dance there (e.g. at Café da Cidade or Praxis Discoteca), eat a delicious dinner or just drink a glass of wine with friends.