Vendas Novas Municipality

Vendas Novas Municipality

Vendas Novas  has a 225 Km² area, corresponding to 3% of Évora's District, and a population of 11.619 inhabitants, representing 6,7% of resident population in the district. The municipality is constituted by by 2 parishes. Concerning economic activity, tertiary and and secondary sectors employ around 90% of active population. 

Vendas Novas is a Portuguese town, placed in Évora's District, Alentejo region and Central Alentejo sub-region, with around 10 900 inhabitants.

It is municipality chief town, with an area of 222,51 km² and 11 619 inhabitants (2001), subdivided in  2 parishes. The municipality is limited east by Montemor-o-Novo Municipality, south by Alcácer do Sal, west by Palmela and north west by western side of Montijo. The Municipality was raised in 1962. Previously it was a parish belonging to Montemor-o-Novo.

 Historical Resume

The road that crosses Vendas Novas town was once, the path of several kings. For that reason we can say that the same road gave birth to the town. Vendas Novas was anonymous for a long time, a place without history, till one day a king ordered the construction of a Royal Palace in the almost desert Charneca, so that the Astúrias princess and Brasil prince, future D.José I, could find here their country house. Therefore, and thanks to Brazilian gold and to D. João V empire, this Palace was a country-house for several kings, quarter for cavalry, telegraph, improvised hospital to fight yellow fever and nowadays is Artillery School. Later a railway was build, approaching the town to technical progress and merchandise, bringing also new industries. So that it's own inhabitants, trhough their work, made the town known. The 21st August 1911, Vendas Novas, see it's true importance recognised becoming a villa, but only on 7th September 1962 acquires the independence from Montemor-o-Novo municipality, creating it's own. Considering it's growing Vendas Novas becomes a town in 1993.

HERITAGE

Despite its young history, the municipality has a set of monuments of which the Artillery School Building, old Royal Palace built by king D.João V is an example. There are also a reference the Palace and Chapel of Vidigal (sec. XIX) and a set of churches and monuments such as Chapel of S. Fernando (today Church Santo António do Outeiro), the only municipal classified monument, Church Nª Sr.ª de Nazaré, Landeira (sec.XV), Chapel Monte Velho da Ajuda (secs. XVII e XVIII), Royal Chapel, close to Royal Palace and others of younger construction such as Church Matriz de St.º António, Church S. Domingos Sávio, Chapel S. Pedro, Bombel, Chapel S. Gabriel, Marconi, Chapel N.ª Sr.ª Auxiliadora, A feiteira. It is important to enhance a windmill from XIX century, completly recovered and transformed in Tourism Office. There are also 3 important museum nucleous, Artllery School Museum, Landeira Folkloric Group Etnographic and Artcraft Museum, and Piçarras Folkloric Group Etnographic Museum. We can find some recognized archaeological  stations as paleolithic station of Bica-Fria, Sesmaria de Cuncos roman station, Lavra de Maio Smith's shop and Quintal do Henrique Rosa Smith's Shop, and 2 medieval stations placed in Landeira, the Amieira olive tree and the could lands (Moinhola, Landeira).

THE MUNICIPALITY ORIGINS 

Vendas Novas probable origin and development are essentially due to three happenings that happened almost simultaneously. The first and second event are due to the creation of a  South Post, by the order of D.João and a Station and Chief Post in Galega Village (nowadays Montijo). In the same reign, sent Luís Afonso, the Reign's Messenger, to open a path between Galega Village and  Montemor, crossing a vast moor that the king used to his royal huntings, in a way to diminished the distance and the time wasted in travelling. In that path, the king himself ordered the construction of an hostelry in the exact place where today is Vendas Novas. The third event is related to the construction, by order of D. Teodósio, of two country-houses, one in Evoramonte and the other in Vendas Novas close the 2 stations, for a better displacement from Lisbon to Vila Viçosa. It was probably then, that the South Post was open, in 1526, and the construction of 2 country-houses, (Mala-Posta, in 1526, and Duque D. Teodósio I, in 1930). These were the 3 main factors to Vendas Novas origin. In what concerns the name, it is probably from the words "Estalagens - hostelries" or "Vendas - Sales", that being of young construction were named "Vendas Novas" by travellers.