2005 © Oficina Virtual de Turismo
The reasons behind the classification of the historic Centre of Évora as Heritage of Humanity are embedded in its very urban fabric. The city is a paradigm of the "Portuguese golden age" veering between the monumental and the private, in which heritage is revealed to be something involving much more than mere construction. It indeed preserves the typical features of the medieval towns of Southern Europe, enriched by variations that never stray from a remarkable harmony. The Roman temple, dated in the first and second centuries A.D., coexists with the Sé Cathedral, the largest in the country, begun at the end of the thirteenth century. On the outskirts, the vestiges Islamic citadel were readapted as a castle from 1165 on. Several of its towers still stand, and elements of a Renaissance-Mudejar style are still visible. These set the standard for the later remodeling of its premises as aristocratic palaces.
Walking down the old muslim souk (present day 5 de Outubro Street) we come to the magnificent do Geraldo Square, possibly begun in the thirteenth century, and next to the ancient walls (third and fourth centuries A.D., rebuilt in the tenth century). Among its several buildings, outstanding are the church of St. Antão and the Henriquina Fountain, both from the second half of the sixteenth century, embraced by the aristocraticstyled hamlet. Belonging to the same period is the University, where some of the most influential names of the European culture of the day used to teach.
The face of Évora is further defined by the remarkable church of S. Francisco, a unique survival of a Franciscan convent. Construction began in 1224 in what were then the outskirts of the town. It looks proudly upon the D. Manuel Palace, a magnificent example of the importance of Évora during the Manuelino period that points to the royal predilection for the town. The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were witness to the refurbishing of its religious interiors, which were dressed in gilt work and tiles of an impressive plastic quality. See, for example, the church of do Convento Novo and da Misericórdia church. Also, the program of the new major altar (which began to be built in 1708) of the Cathedral, by Ludovice, stands out from among the whole of these considerations.
It would take until 1889 for the profile of Évora to be defined once more by the building of the Garcia de Resende theatre. The twentieth century would bring urban reform to the city for its new urban and social needs, relieving the tight medieval constraints. Streets were opened and squares were designed, but even so, the homogeneity so characteristic of the historic centre was preserved.
Its heritage, on the other hand, is not limited to the façades of its remarkable buildings. Noteworthy is the fabulous archaeological, sculptural and pictorial collection of the Museu Municipal, as well as the documentary wealth of its famous Library.
Évora, a whole rich platform, enclosed within medieval walls of the fourteenth century surrounding an area of 107 hectares, that invites to constant discovery.
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