The Alto Alentejo Page 4


		Áqueduto da Agua de Prata - The Silver Water Aqueduct - was built under the direction of Évora’s own eminent architect, Francisco da Arruda, between 1531 and 1537 to carry a water supply into the town. It was admired with wonder and even described in the epic Os Lusíadas (The Lusiads) by Luís Vaz de Camões, which is widely regarded as Portugal’s national poem. The aqueduct was damaged in the 17th century during the Restoration War with Spain, but a 5 mile length still survives. Within the town, houses have been built within its arches.




		Some of the aqueduct arches have had houses built within them.


	Shops in Rua 5 de Outobro.


PRAÇA DO GIRALDO



	The fountain at one end of the Praça do Giraldo dates from the 18th century and stands on the site of a Roman triumphal arch.

	The square is probably named after Geraldo Sempavor (The Fearless), an outlaw, warrior and Portuguese folk hero who assembled a private army and won Évora back from the Moors for King Alfonso l some time between 1164 and 1166. Geraldo’s activities were normally carried out at night or on stormy days, to involve an element of surprise. He developed equipment for scaling the town walls. Over the years the square has seen its share of atrocities. It was here in 1483 that King João ll looked on as his brother-in law, the Duke of Bragança, was beheaded. Here, too, was an Inquisitional burning in 1573. Nowadays Praça do Giraldo is a popular meeting place for old and young and becomes particularly busy in the early evening.

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From the Gardens, return to Rua da República and start walking up the hill. After a hundred yards or so, turn right, down the narrow road leading to Largo da Graça. Here you’ll find the wonderful Renaissance frontage of the church called Nossa Senhora da Graça with its carved masculine figures supporting globes that symbolise Portugal’s expansionism at the time the church was built.

Retrace your steps to Rua da República and over the other side of the road is the Royal Church of São Francisco with its Gothic cloister and Manueline frontage. Walk around to the square in front of the Church and to the right, accessible through a separate entrance, is the macabre Chapel of Bones. Turn your back to the Church and look over the railings to see on a lower level, two modern buildings that house the indoor markets, one for fish and the other for vegetables and all manner of other things.

Walk back to Rua da República and up the hill to Praça do Giraldo, Évora’s bustling main square. Lined with arcaded shops along one side, it’s an ideal place for a coffee stop at one of the pavement cafés, or maybe a newspaper cone full of roast chestnuts from a street vendor.

Leave the Praça do Giraldo by Rua João de Deus - the road that runs alongside the arcaded shops - and walk straight on into Rue José Elias Garcia and then into Rua Candido dos Reis. As you approach the city walls, an excellent view of the Áqueduto da Agua de Prata (Silver Water Aqueduct) comes to view. If you walk right up to the aqueduct, you can return to the centre of town walking alongside it, along Rua do Cano, and see where many of the arches have been infilled to form the frontages of houses. Make your way back to the Praça do Giraldo.

Regional Museum

From here, walk uphill along Rua 5 de Outobro (the date of the 1910 Revolution that turned Portugal into a Republic), and take in the shops selling postcards, handbags and even hats all made out of cork. At the top is the Sé (Cathedral) and a 16th century palace that is now the Regional Museum.

Évora’s history comes to life at the museum through exhibits including a stone frieze - probably from the Templo Romano - and a beautiful Moorish window. There’s an important collection of 15th and 16th century paintings by Flemish and Portuguese artists and the prize exhibit is a 16th century work in 13 panels, by an anonymous Flemish painter, portraying scenes from the life of the Virgin. It was once the Cathedral altarpiece.