HERITAGE PROGRAMME
“One of the distinctive features of Terras sem Sombra, in its eagerness to propose fertile crosses between music, cultural heritage and biodiversity, is to make known the hidden treasures of each of the counties in which it is a pilgrim. And for this to happen, an honest approach to the personality of the cities, towns and villages is indispensable. Something like an initiation course that requires, at each point, the intervention of guides familiar with the respective Genius Loci (spirit of the place). "
JOSE ANTÓNIO FALCÃO
Scientific Coordinator
VIDIGUEIRA
February 17 [15H00]
A Pantheon for D. Vasco da Gama:The Convent of Nossa Senhora das Relíquias
COLLABORATION: Quinta do CarmoSUPPORT: Vidigueira City Hall; UNESCO Centre of Architecture and ArtMEETING POINT: Quinta do Carmo, Vidigueira
The remains of D. Vasco da Gama came to the church of Nossa Senhora das Relíquias’ Carmelite convent, there resting until the transfer to the Jerónimos Monastery, in Lisbon. But the history of this Carmelite institution, closely related to the East, reveals other chapters worthy of attention, beginning with a miracle that occurred in the late fifteenth century. Tour Guides: Mário Maia e Silva (owner), Susana Maia e Silva (art historian) and Filipa Maia e Silva (kindergarten teacher).
SERPA
March 3 [15H00]
Gothic tardy art and Royal Patronage:The Convent of Santo António
COLLABORATION: Santa Casa Misericórdia de SerpaSUPPORT: Serpa City Hall; UNESCO Centre of Architecture and ArtMEETING POINT: Convent of Santo António
This is one of the most remarkable examples of Manueline architecture in the Alentejo and a milestone in regional history. In the main chapel is buried, by royal concession, the monarch’s master of ceremonies, D. Henrique de Mello, son of Garcia de Mello, governor of Serpa. Tour Guides: António Martins Quaresma (historian) and José António Falcão (art historian)
ODEMIRA
March 17 [15H00]
In tune with Nature:The windmill Moinhos Juntos
COLLABORATION: Odemira City HallSUPPORT: UNESCO Centre of Architecture and ArtMEETING POINT: Alto de São Sebastião
Rehabilitated by the Municipality, one of the "moinhos juntos" is able to grind. Visiting it offers a very timely opportunity not only to know a protoindustrial heritage worthy of attention, but also to reflect on the sustainable use of renewable energies, one of the great challenges facing today's society. Tour Guides: António Martins Quaresma (historian), Joaquim Marcos (physicist), José Guilherme (miller) and José Matias (museum technician).
MÉRTOLA
April 14 [15H00]
Rewrite the Past:New perspectives on the History of Myrtilis
COLLABORATION: Mértola’s Archaeological FieldSUPPORT: Mértola City Hall; UNESCO Centre of Architecture and ArtMEETING POINT: Coffee shop Guadiana
The multidisciplinary scientific research that the Mértola’s Archaeological Field has been developing, within the social and human sciences, allows rewriting the history of the old city and introduces a new dynamics in understanding the past and the very identity of the Baixo Alentejo. Tour Guides: Cláudio Torres (art historian), Susana Gómez and Vergílio Lopes (archaeologists).
FERREIRA DO ALENTEJO
April 28 [15H00]
In the Heart of the Plains:The Quinta de São Vicente
COLLABORATION: Passanha de Bivar Branco FamilySUPPORT: Ferreira do Alentejo City Hall; UNESCO Centre of Architecture and ArtMEETING POINT: Quinta de São Vicente
The Quinta de São Vicente takes its name from a hermitage of the same invocation, dating from the fifteenth century, which is located on the perimeter of this large estate. Retaking the solar tradition, the mansion conveys an image of prestige and is, as the surrounding property, a symbol of the region. Tour Guides: Wanda Passanha de Bivar Branco (owner) and Maria João Pina (historian)
BEJA
May 5 [15H00]
Memories of Mariana:Beja in the Time of the Alcoforados
COLLABORATION: Association for the Defence of the Patrimony of the Beja RegionSUPPORT: Beja City Hall; Beja Club; UNESCO Centre of Architecture and Art; Regional Museum of BejaMEETING POINT: Rainha D. Leonor Museum
In celebration of the 350th anniversary of the publication of the Portuguese Letters of Soror Mariana Alcoforado [1640-1723], we will visit monuments and sites that preserve her memory: the house where she was born, the church where she was baptized, the convent where she lived, died and is buried, as well as the Quinta do Alcoforado, once of her family. Tour Guide: Florival Baioa Monteiro and José António Falcão (art historians).
ELVAS
May 19 [15H00]
Impregnable Citadel:The Fort of Nossa Senhora da Graça
COLLABORATION: Alentejo Regional Directorate of CultureSUPPORT: Elvas City Hall; UNESCO Centre of Architecture and ArtMEETING POINT: Fort of Graça
Also known as Forte Conde de Lippe, it is located on the hill of the same name, one of the highest in the region and of great strategic-defensive importance, about 1 km north of the town of Elvas. King D. José I ordered the construction of this masterpiece of European military architecture, that began in 1763. It was inaugurated in 1792, in the reign of Queen D. Maria I. Tour Guide: Rui Jesuíno (historian)
BARRANCOS
June 2 [15H00]
Between Ardila and Múrtega:The Old Village of Noudar
COLLABORATION: EDIA - Company for the Development and Infrastructure of AlquevaSUPPORT: Barrancos City Hall; UNESCO Centre of Architecture and ArtMeeting Point: Noudar
In order to attract new residents to Noudar, village located in a dominant point of the frontier with Spain, between the river Ardila and the river of Múrtega, in 1305, the king made it the first place in the country where men fleeing from justice could stay. The village would grow in the shadow of an extensive walled enclosure, dominated by its emblematic tower, surrounded by a fortress and near the main church of Santa Maria de Entre-Ambas-as-Águas. Tour Guide: Miguel Rego (archaeologist)
sines
June 16 [15H00]
On the Route of Vasco da Gama:Testimonies of the Admiral in Sines
SUPPORT: Sines City Hall.UNESCO Centre of Architecture and ArtMeeting point: Castle
Sines is the "Land of Vasco da Gama". This tour covers the main sites of the Gama Route in Sines: the castle and the chapel, the palace (whose construction was seized by the king and led to the expulsion of the admiral from his native land), the church of Nossa Senhora das Salas (rebuilt by his order) and other places of worship to which he had attachment. Tour Guide: Ricardo Pereira (architect)
SANTIAGO DO CACÉM
June 30 [15H00]
Sub tegmine fagi:The Quinta de São João
COLLABORATION: Soares Nunes da Silva FamilySUPPORT: Santiago do Cacém City Hall; UNESCO Centre of Architecture and Art; Royal Lusitanian Archaeological Society; Joint Parish Council of Santiago do Cacém, Santa Cruz and São Bartolomeu da Serra
The Quinta de São João, which belonged to the sergeant major João Falcão de Mendonça, stands out due to its imposing structure from the first half of the 18th century. Fuelled by a remarkable hydraulic device, with gutters and tanks, the farmhouse includes gardens, tree-lined streets, orchards, orchards and woods. Tour Guides: Gonçalo Nunes da Silva (owner) and Francisco Lobo de Vasconcellos (architect)
BIODIVERSITY PROGRAMME
"In 2011, when the Terras sem Sombra introduced the first initiatives in the biodiversity preservation area, under the aegis of the Department of Historic and Artistic Heritage of the Diocese of Beja, its work was received with some irony, both from some ranks of the Church and of certain Pulbic services. However, Local authorities and the civil society were aware of its scope and gave it the greatest support. A few years later, the Encyclical Laudato si ', by Pope Francis in 2015, would integrate, alongside with scientific contributions from the five parts of the world, the fruit of a discreet consultation with our Alentejo festival, regarding the safeguarding of small species threatened by the degradation of inland waters, whose role is essential to the food chain functioning. Today, environmental voluntary actions are widespread and the methodology advocated by Terras sem Sombra is as inspiration to other festivals. "
JOSE ANTÓNIO FALCÃO
Scientific Coordinator
VILA DE FRADES
February 18 de [10H00]
From the Roman Era to the 21st Century:Vitivinicultural Traditions in the Vidigueira Terroir
COLLABORATION: Cooperative Winery of Vidigueira, Cuba and Alvito, Vila de Frades Parish Council, Vidigueira Wine LandsSUPPORT: Vidigueira City HallMEETING POINT: Great Church of Vila de Frades
A terroir is a space in which a collective knowledge of the interactions between the physical and biological environment and the applied oenological practices is under way, in order to provide different characteristics to the originating products. The municipality of Vidigueira has, for more than twenty centuries, exemplified these concepts in a remarkable way. Revisiting its traditional winemaking practices, heritage of which the wine of carving is part, also allows understanding the biodiversity. Tour Guide: José Miguel de Almeida (agronomist), Virgílio Loureiro (Ph.D in Microbiology), Joaquim Galante de Carvalho and Arlindo Ruivo (producers)
SERPA
March 4 [10H00]
Time heritage: Serpa’s Multisecular Olive Trees
COLLABORATION: Herdade da ZangaSUPPORT: Serpa City HallMEETING POINT: Municipal Library Abade Correia da Serra
Serpa, a county of ancient knowledge in the art of olive growing, has been carefully preserving some olive trees with more than 2000 years. A particularly interesting nucleus, in this perspective, is that of the Herdade da Zanga, which has been improved and that produces an olive oil very appreciated for its unique characteristics. Tour Guides: José Pedro Fernandes de Oliveira and Francisco Garcia (agronomists)
ODEMIRA
March 18 [10H00]
Promontory on Cliffs:The Bio and Geodiversity of Cape Sardão
COLLABORATION: Acal - Associação para a ciência do Alentejo LitoralSUPPORT: Odemira City Hall, SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF ÉVORA; NATIONAL MARITIME AUTHORITY, Captain of the Harbor of the Port of Sines, PORTUGUESE MARINE.MEETING POINT: Cabo Sardão Lighthouse
Cabo Sardão is a kind of finis terrae, as an edge where land confronts the ocean, with its tall black shale cliffs, dramatically bent and fractured by the movements of the tectonic plates. Remarkably, the white stork nests on the cliffs thus showing an exceptional adaptation to a seemingly hostile environment. The lighthouse that, since 1915, illuminates the coast is the strongest element of human intervention. Tour Guides: Rita Balbino (biologist), Carlos Cupeto (geologist) and António Martins Quaresma (historian)
MÉRTOLA
April 15 de Abril [10H00]
Under the aegis of Diana:The Cynegetic Management and the Safeguard of Biodiversity
COLLABORATION: National Association of Landowners, Cynegetic Management and BiodiversitySUPPORT: Mértola City Hall; Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO-InBIO); Herdade das RomeirasMEETING POINT: Roundabout next to the bridge over the river Guadiana (car park)
Diana, the Greek Artemis, was a goddess who ruled wildlife among other spheres of the natural world and had a dual function: to preside over the hunting activity and to preserve the hunting resources essential to the food chains. Remembering the tradition, we will reflect on the role of hunting, properly organized and managed in a sustainable way, in the valuation of the low density areas, the economic potential and tourism that it represents, but also the associated cultural heritage and the remarkable contribution that conservation of biodiversity. Mértola, whose famous venatic richness has been growing in recent years, is an important stage for repopulation measures that constitute a case study for the good practices of cynegetic management. The recovery of wild rabbits, a key species in Mediterranean ecosystems, favours the safeguarding of endangered species such as the Iberian lynx and birds of prey such as the imperial eagle, royal eagle and bonelli's eagle. It is in a territory where, at any moment, we can find a copy of these species, which we developed our visit, trying to find out about the activities and the daily work that underlies the fabulous biodiversity there. Tour Guide: António Paula Soares (biophysical engineer), João Carvalho (forest engineer) and Paulo Célio Alves (biologist).
Diana, the Greek Artemis, was a goddess who ruled wildlife among other spheres of the natural world and had a dual function: to preside over the hunting activity and to preserve the hunting resources essential to the food chains. Remembering the tradition, we will reflect on the role of hunting, properly organized and managed in a sustainable way, in the valuation of the low density areas, the economic potential and tourism that it represents, but also the associated cultural heritage and the remarkable contribution that conservation of biodiversity. Mértola, whose famous venatic richness has been growing in recent years, is an important stage for repopulation measures that constitute a case study for the good practices of cynegetic management. The recovery of wild rabbits, a key species in Mediterranean ecosystems, favours the safeguarding of endangered species such as the Iberian lynx and birds of prey such as the imperial eagle, royal eagle and bonelli's eagle. It is in a territory where, at any moment, we can find a copy of these species, which we developed our visit, trying to find out about the activities and the daily work that underlies the fabulous biodiversity there.