By taking a journey through the cities of Elvas & Évora, you are sure to find examples from their rich heritage around every corner. Castles and forts were built to protect these cities so that today we can stand in wonder at their historic churches and heritage homes. Located not far from the Portuguese-Spanish border, the cities of Elvas & Évora are waiting for you to visit.
All along this border, castles and fortresses cling to the steep hills, mountains and crags. We will highlight a few of these magnificent castles and their medieval towns and villages. To read about other towns read our posts The Fortified Towns of Monsanto and Marvão. In the coming days we’ll explore Beja, Mértola and Alcoutim.
Elvas
Amoreira Aqueduct
We were 6 km outside of Elvas when we first saw the 16th century Amoreira Aqueduct. As it neared the city, the aqueduct became more and more elaborate with four levels of arched windows. It became even more picturesque as it rounded a corner to make its way to the castle on the hill above.
It is a remarkable 8.4 km long and brought needed water from the Xévora River. It may have been functional, but it is also beautiful.
Fortified City of Elvas
After seeing the aqueduct, we were even more excited to see what lies behind the city walls of Elvas. We entered the old town through a set of fancy gates called Corner Gates (Porta das Esquina). We thought the first one was pretty until we saw the inner gate. Its black and white marble base is topped with a cute chapel. It was so pretty that we walked up to see it from the upper level too.
Upon seeing Corner Gates, we understood how the fortified city of Elvas achieved its UNESCO World Heritage Status.
Inside these gates we were surprised to find a fully functioning town, rather than a small space with tourist hotels and shops. Not every building has been restored, but it appears that every single building is historical. With arches built high above the narrow lanes, it feels as if not much has changed in this medieval village.
A secret alley leads from the homes to the castle. Today it is signed but in the day you wouldn’t know how to get through the maze of streets. The Moors originally built a castle on this site on top of an old Roman structure. It was eventually captured by the Portuguese in the 13th century. There’s not a lot to see inside Elvas Castle, but its outer walls still have a prominent position on top of the hill and allowed us to see the walls surrounding the old city below.
From the castle on top of the hill, follow a winding road down to the newer section of the historic town. Still inside the fortified walls is the busy Republic Square (Praça da República). The typical Portuguese black and white tiled flooring in the square is bordered by lovely heritage buildings including the old city hall and Old Cathedral. The fortified church was the city’s cathedral until the late 19th century. The square is a popular meeting place and its patios were filled with locals and tourists enjoying the atmosphere.
The surrounding streets are home to more wonderful buildings. Many of the heritage buildings in this area have been modernized at street level and house shops and services for locals rather than tourists. It is a very nice part of the city.
The wall surrounding this large Old Town is fantastic. Originally built by the Moors in the Middle Ages, it was rebuilt by the Portuguese in the 17th century. We had already seen Corner Gate at the top of the hill. At the base of the hill we found another double gate. Oliveira Gate has two gates with a dry moat and an old drawbridge in between.
Since Elvas is roughly 15 km from the border, the Portuguese King built two forts on either side of the city to protect if from invasions from nearby Spain.
Graça Fort
We first saw Graça Fort (Forte de Nossa Senhora da Graça) from the top of the walled city. Now we were standing at its only entrance which also has a double gate. The outer entrance to Dragon Gate, has a dragon sculpture above the entryway. The inner gate is even more elaborate with carvings of two knights.
An old battery was first built on this spot in the 17th century around an even older chapel. In the 18th century, a large bastion fort was built to better protect the city from Spanish invasions. It was built in a pentagon shape to eliminate blind spots.
Inside Dragon Gate is a long corridor that takes you to the many rooms inside of the star shaped Fort.
In the centre of the fort is the two story Governor’s home. It’s a round building with many rooms and offices that all have windows overlooking the fortress grounds and barracks. The best part is the rooftop veranda that lets you see the the land around the fortress and across to Elvas Castle on the hill.
Fort of Santa Luzia
On the other side of the city is the 17th century Fort of Santa Luzia that was built to protect the city from Spanish invasions. Its star shaped walls surround cisterns, barracks and a Governor’s House. Today it is used as a military museum.
As we drove away from the city we looked back for a great view of Elvas and Graça Fort on a hill behind the city.
As we said earlier, there are many castles along the border with Spain. Driving to Elvas and Évora we passed the castles of Portalegre and Estremoz. Further on, the rounded buttresses of Evoramonte Castle enticed us to make a quite stop.
Portuguese Cork
While driving around the Alentejo region of Portugal, the highway took us by many cork oak forests. Portugal is the number one supplier of cork to the world, and this region is responsible for most of it. In fact 50% of the cork that is sold worldwide, comes from Alentejo.
We had never seen harvested cork trees before, but as soon as we saw the unusual trees, we knew what we were looking at. Thick bark had been stripped from the tree trunks but not from the branches, making them look a little awkward. The trees are numbered with the year the cork was stripped because trees are only harvested every 9 to 12 years.
Évora
With a long history of civilizations living in this region, there are still a few remnants of the Roman’s occupation. The first one we saw was Porto do Moinho de Vento (Windmill Gate) where the Roman and medieval walls meet.
Temple of Diana
In the middle of Évora you can find the 1st century AD columns of Temple of Diana. These Roman ruins are part of the reason Évora’s historic centre has received UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
The remaining heritage buildings in Évora’s Old Town are mixed in with more modern structures, but there are enough historical ones to still make it a great place to visit.
Convent of Lóios
At the side of the Roman temple is the 15th century church of the Convent of Lóios (Convento dos Lóios). With floor to ceiling azulejos, this church is said to be the prettiest in Portugal, and we have to agree. The church was part of a convent which is now a hotel. It is connected to the 14th century Cadaval Palace, a private residence.
Évora Cathedral
The 13th century castle-like Évora Cathedral (Sé de Évora) is magnificent. Composed of granite, the front entry way has a recessed door decorated with tall statues of the apostles below a stained glass window.
From the back, its crenalated roofline, steeples, rose window and towers add interest to the building. Our favourite thing to do in Évora was to climb to the top of the tower for a closer look at this great roof.
From the roof you can see that Lantern Tower has turrets that are replicas of the tower itself.
If Évora Cathedral looks massive, that’s because it is. In fact, it is the largest medieval church in Portugal. Because of its size, its tall stone walls and vaulted ceilings make it difficult to photograph, so we searched for small decorations. We found our favourite feature hanging on the wall. An Iberian organ from 1544 is the oldest organ in Portugal that is still operational today.
Chapel of Bones
A little further away is the small, but creepy, Chapel of Bones (Capela dos Ossos). When we walked into the chapel we couldn’t believe our eyes. Almost every square inch of this chapel is covered in bones. Human bones. Having worked in health care for many years, I was easily able to identify the bones that are somewhat artistically arranged on the walls, pillars, and moldings. Hundreds if not thousands of bodies cover these walls.
Built in the 17th century, it was dedicated to the worshipping of holy souls in purgatory and is a part of a larger Franciscan complex. The belief is that the bones were from the cemeteries of the convent, church, and even the general cemetery. The Franciscan monks and laypeople apparently chose these graveyards knowing the fate of their bones. A St. Francis prayer says that ‘it is by dying that one lives for eternal life’.
Feel free to skip past the pictures if they make you feel queasy.
Cromlech of the Almendres
Not far from Évora are the ancient monoliths Cromlech of the Almendres. These standing stones, or menhirs date back to 6000 BCE and are believed to the be largest collection in the Iberian Peninsula.
The monoliths are at the end of a 3 km gravel road which we thought would be a short side trip. That is until Google Maps told us it would take 30 minutes. We thought the app must be wrong, but unfortunately, the road has more deep potholes than it does drivable road. It did take at least half an hour to the cover 3 km. The sun was getting lower and lower on the horizon and we were a little worried that we may arrive after dark. As it was the low sun gave the standing stones a haunting feel.
Because of the condition of the dirt road, it is not recommended to go if it has recently rained.
How to get to Elvas and Évora
Both cities are reasonably easy to access from Lisbon. There are direct buses to both cities. As well you can reach the cities by train, although for Elvas it involves a transfer. From other regions though, they more difficult to reach by public transit. Driving to both cities is usually the easiest. The highways are single lane and wander through the countryside, but allow you to see more of this area’s wonderful landscape.
To read more of our adventures in Portugal, click here.
Coming Next – Medieval Castles in Beja, Mértola & Alcoutim
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