Sagres (Vila do Bispo)

A commemorative plaque marking the 15th century of Henry the Navigator

The port of Sagres, historical center of the Portuguese discoveries and fishing port

Street in Sagres

The name Sagres derives from Sagrado (holy) owing to the important local religious practices and rituals that occurred during the pre-history of the nation.[4] From here some of the Mediterranean peoples (including the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans), venerated their divinities and which some believed, owing to the absence of a human settlement, was the gathering place for their gods.[4] Christinas (Mozarabs) that lived in this zone, during the Muslim occupation, erected the Church of Corvo, where the mortal remains of the saint Vincent were deposited in the 8th century. The presence of martyr's remains lead the Portuguese to refer to the site and the peninsula as the Cape of Saint Vincent.[4]

The area (mostly Lagos town)is linked to Infante Henry, son of King John I and Philippa of Lancaster. Although born in the provincial city of Porto (1394), he would be connected with his life in the parish, until his death in 1460, being known as the Infante of Sagres.[4] Although there existed a medieval settlement in this area (Terçanabal), all the land was donated on 27 October 1443 to Infante Henry.[4] The prince was head of the military Order of Christ, Duke of Viseu, Master of Covilhã and a man preoccupied with his signeurial holdings and defense of his faith. Henry obtained his wealth from the lands he held the fisheries in the Algarve, and the rights from the gold and slave African trade and invested in the founding of a village (later known as the Vila do Infante) to assist the population.[4] The small fishermen town was situated on the Ponta de Sagres, a strategic point dominated the coves of Mareta and Beliche.[4] Henry's controlled his material interests from Lagos and when he died on 13 November 1460, the Portuguese navigators and other services, had already reached Sierra Leone.

Sagres was created in 1519, through the division of the municipality of Vila do Bispo.

King Sebastian was known to have spent time in the parish, listening to music along the cliffs and the sea. A chronicle of the 16th century, referred to the young Kings stay at the Convent of São Vicente do Cabo, and later, locals recounted that King was enchanted by the landscape of Sagres.[4]

In May 1587, explorer and privateer Francis Drake disembarked 800 men who assaulted the fortress of Sagres.[4] After two hours of intense combat, fortifications adjacent to the fortress were destroyed and its artillery was pillaged.[4]

Until 1834, Sagres was an independent municipality.

Location in the municipality of Vila do Bispo

View of the cape (far left) and the beach (far right)

Sagres is located in the extreme southwest of continental Europe, and marked by two geomorphological structures: the Cape St. Vincent and Sagres Point, which establish a transition between the eastern coastal and meridional zones. Exposed to the Atlantic Ocean, it is influenced by Mediterranean currents, marked by promontories of high cliffs leading onto a platform that oscillates between 100–200 metres (330–660 ft) (in the north) and 50 metres (160 ft). Whether by coastal erosion, or the hard rock, its composition influences the relief of the area.

At 157 meters high, Torre de Aspa is a viewpoint on the western side of Vila do Bispo, which offers a panoramic view of Sagres and São Vicente Cape.[5]

Sagres cape by sunset New Year's Day 2018

Sagres has a borderline warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb), hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) with mild winters and warm to very warm summers. Temperatures are very moderated year-round, seldom above 35 °C (95 °F) or below 4 °C (39 °F) due to the strong upwelling this region experiences in the summer. November and December are the wettest months. Similarly to other locations in the Algarve, insolation is high, though with a higher frequency of marine fogs, which boost the average relative humidity to around 80%.

Notes

Sources

• Câmara Municipal, ed. (2012), Freguesia de Sagres (PDF) (in Portuguese), Vila do Bispo, Portugal: Câmara Municipal de Vila do Bispo, retrieved 7 November 2013

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Sagres.