Batalha, Portugal

Batalha (Portuguese pronunciation: [bɐˈtaʎɐ] ⓘ) is a town and a municipality in Leiria District, Pinhal Litoral Subregion, Centro Region, Portugal. The town's name means "battle". The municipality population in 2011 was 15,805,[1] in an area of 103.42 km2 (39.93 sq mi).[2] The town proper has around 8,548 inhabitants in an area of 28.42 km2 (10.97 sq mi).[3] The municipality is limited to the North and West by the municipality of Leiria, to the East by Ourém, to the Southeast by Alcanena and to the Southwest by Porto de Mós.

Batalha
Municipality
Flag of Batalha
Flag
Coat of arms of Batalha
Coat of arms
Coordinates: 39°39′N 8°48′W
Country Portugal
RegionCentro
Intermunic. comm.Região de Leiria
DistrictLeiria
Parishes4
Area
 • Total103.42 km2 (39.93 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total15,805
 • Density150/km2 (400/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC±00:00 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+01:00 (WEST)
Websitewww.cm-batalha.pt

The town was founded by King D. João I of Portugal, jointly with the Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória na Batalha, to pay homage to the Portuguese victory at the Battle of Aljubarrota (August 14, 1385) that put an end to the 1383–1385 Crisis.

History

Although there are countless traces throughout the region that allude to a human occupation since prehistoric times, passing through the Roman period and, successively, throughout history (it is believed that the Roman settlement of Collipo, originally of the Turduli people, established in São Sebastião do Freixo), Vila da Batalha owes its origin to the construction of the Santa Maria da Vitória Monastery. In fact, Batalha was born with the Avis Dynasty and the consolidation of Independence in 1385.[4]

The administrative figure of the parishes is only drawn and defined throughout the second half of the 19th century, with Liberalism, so that on September 14, 1512, when the Prior-Major of Santa Cruz de Coimbra, D. Pedro Vaz Gavião, creates the parish of Batalha, it is evidently the seat that, however, delimits and is the first form of future civil parish.[4]

Demography
Population of the municipality of Batalha (1801–2011)
1801 1849 1900 1930 1960 1981 1991 2001 2004 2011
2510 2445 7107 9634 13 811 12 588 13 329 15 002 15 542 15 805

Monuments
Details of Gothic architecture in the Monastery of Batalha
Statue of Nuno Álvares Pereira, next to Batalha Monastery
  • Batalha Monastery
  • Estátua Equestre de São Nuno de Santa Maria (1966 - 1968)
  • Igreja Matriz de Exaltação de Santa Cruz (1514 - 1532)
  • Capela da Santa Casa da Misericórdia (18th century)
  • Ponte da Boutaca (1862)
  • Pelourinho (Restored in 2000)
  • Edifício Mouzinho de Albuquerque - Galeria de Exposições
  • Capela de Nossa Senhora do Caminho
  • Boca da Mina das Barrojeiras
  • Igreja Paroquial Nossa Senhora dos Remédios
  • Ermida de Nossa Senhora do Fetal
  • Moinhos de Vento

Natural heritage
Grutas da Moeda

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 4 civil parishes (freguesias):[5]

International relations
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Portugal

Batalha is twinned with:

Notable people

References
  1. Instituto Nacional de Estatística
  2. "Áreas das freguesias, concelhos, distritos e país". Archived from the original on 2018-11-05. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
  3. "Dados Estatísticos". Freguesia de Batalha (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  4. "História". Freguesia de Batalha (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  5. Diário da República. "Law nr. 11-A/2013, page 552 24" (pdf) (in Portuguese). Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  6. "Geminações de Cidades e Vilas - Batalha". www.anmp.pt. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
  7. "Joinville-le-Pont - Portal do Município da Batalha". cm-batalha.pt. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Batalha.


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