Tavira, a journey trough Art and History (part 1)
Tavira’s monuments recount the important history of a city that was the largest in the Algarve in the 16th century. The Port of Tavira harboured the Portuguese fleet that patrolled the Strait of Gibraltar and supplied the markets of North Africa. It was a busy maritime commercial hub where fish, salt, citrus fruit, figs and almonds were exchanged for products from Flanders, India, China…
A number of writers have drawn attention to the city’s “oriental atmosphere”, unique to the region. The influence of the old port?
Visitors will find the remains of Phoenician walls in the open air to the rear of the Tourist Office. These will give rise to the Tavira Museum’s Phoenician Section. A series of “holy wells” dedicated to underground divinities can be visited in the atrium of the Palácio da Galeria.
Islamic Tavira will be made known at a section scheduled to open in the forthcoming months and where the famous “Tavira vase” will be exhibited. For the time being, apart from some 12th century Islamic wall coverings, a museum exhibit of an Almohad neighborhood can be seen at the Pousada/ Convento da Graça.
Tavira Castle, home to many alcaides and Christian governors, now has a landscaped garden, affording a panoramic view over the city, the river and the ocean.
St. Mary’s Church, built in the 13th century, was rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, based on a neoclassic project by Italian Francisco Fabri, who traveled from the Algarve to Lisbon to build the Ajuda Palace.
The portal of the Misericórdia Church, built by master stonemason André Pilarte, who worked on the Jerónimos Monastery, and considered the most noteworthy example of Renaissance architecture in the Algarve, features imaginative Italian-style motives.
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Jun 8th, 2009 Matthijs
Guided tour
Tavira was, in the past, one of the most important towns in Portugal. The testimony of its importance is still to see in its urban quarter, in the classicism of its architecture, and the more than 20 churches.
Saturdays – One hour walking tours through town with a specialist in Portuguese Art, for 10 persons groups. Visit the website for more information.
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