Estremoz

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Estremoz

Estremoz (pron.

Pronunciation

"Pronunciation" refers to the way a word or a language is usually spoken, or the manner in which someone utters a word. If someone said to have "correct pronunciation," then it refers to both within a particular dialect....
) is a municipality in Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
with a total area of 513.82 km² and a total population of 15,673 inhabitants (2001). The city itself has a population of 7,682. It is located in the Alentejo

Alentejo

Alentejo is a south-central region of Portugal. Its name's origin, "Al?m-Tejo", literally translates to "Beyond the Tagus" or "Across the Tagus"....
region.

region around Estremoz has been inhabited since pre-historic times. There are also vestiges of Roman

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC....
, Visigoth

Visigoth

The Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths, an East Germanic tribe, the Ostrogoths being the other. Together these tribes were among the barbarians who disturbed the late Roman Empire during the Migration Period....
and Muslim

Muslim

:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits "....
occupation.

During the Reconquista

Reconquista

The Reconquista was a period of 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula succeeded in retaking the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslims....
, Estremoz was captured in the 12th century by the army of knight Geraldo Sem Pavor (Gerald the fearless), who had also conquered neighbouring Évora

Évora

?vora is a city and a municipalities of Portugal in Portugal. The city proper has 41,159 inhabitants, and the municipality has a total area of 1,307.0 km? with a population of 55,619 inhabitants....
.

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Encyclopedia

Estremoz (pron.

Pronunciation

Portugal

Alentejo

Alentejo is a south-central region of Portugal. Its name's origin, "Al?m-Tejo", literally translates to "Beyond the Tagus" or "Across the Tagus"....
region.

Parishes

Arcos
Estremoz (Santa Maria)
Estremoz (Santo André)
Évora Monte (Santa Maria)
Glória
Santa Vitória do Ameixial
Santo Estêvão
São Bento de Ana Loura
São Bento do Ameixial
São Bento do Cortiço
São Domingos de Ana Loura
São Lourenço de Mamporcão
Veiros

History

The region around Estremoz has been inhabited since pre-historic times. There are also vestiges of Roman

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC....
, Visigoth

Visigoth

Muslim

:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits "....
occupation.

During the Reconquista

Reconquista

Évora

Moors

In the Spanish language, the term for Moors is Moro; in Portuguese language the word is mouro. There seems to have been some confusion about the relationship of the word moro/mouro to the word moreno , both from Greek language ma?ros, i.e....
and only in the mid-13th century reconquered by Portuguese King Sancho II

Sancho II of Portugal

Sancho II , nicknamed "the Pious" and "the Caped" or "the Capuched" , , fourth List of Portuguese monarchs, was the eldest son of Afonso II of Portugal by his wife, Urraca, princess of Castile....
.

King Afonso III

Afonso III of Portugal

Afonso III , or Affonso , Alfonso or Alphonso or Alphonsus , the Bolognian or the Brave , the fifth List of Portuguese monarchs and the first to use the title King of Portugal and the Algarve, since 1249....
granted a letter of feudal rights (foral

Foral

The word Foral derives from the Portuguese language word Foro, ultimately from Latin FORVM, equivalent to Spanish language fuero....
) to Estremoz in 1258, promoting the colonisation of the area. In the early 14th century, King Dinis I rebuilt the castle as a Royal Palace, turning the village into an important political centre. King Dinis' widow, Queen Isabel

Elizabeth of Aragon

Saint Elizabeth of Portugal also known as Elizabeth of Aragon was queen consort of Portugal and is a saint of the Roman Catholic Church....
, considered a saint by the people, died in Estremoz castle on July 4, 1336. Many later kings and queens lived in Estremoz, like Peter I

Peter I of Portugal

Peter I , called the Just , was the eighth List of Portuguese monarchs from 1357 until his death. He was the third but only surviving son of Afonso IV of Portugal and his wife, princess Beatrice of Castile ....
, who died at the Convent of St Francis in 1367.

During the 1383–1385 Crisis

1383–1385 Crisis

The 1383?1385 Crisis was a period of civil war in History of Portugal that began with the death of King of Portugal Ferdinand I of Portugal, who left no male heirs, and ended with the accession to the throne of King John I of Portugal in 1385, in the wake of the Battle of Aljubarrota....
, in which Portugal was almost conquered by neighbouring Castile

Crown of Castile

The Crown of Castile, as a historic entity, is usually considered to have begun in 1230 with the third and definitive union of the two kingdoms of Kingdom of Le?n and Kingdom of Castile, or more concretely, with the union of their parliaments a few decades later....
, Nuno Álvares Pereira

Nuno Álvares Pereira

Dom Nuno ?lvares Pereira, carmelite , also spelled Nun'?lvares Pereira, was a Portuguese General of great success with a decisive role in the 1383-1385 Crisis that assured Portugal's independence from Crown of Castile....
established his headquarters in Estremoz, and defeated the Castilian army nearby in the Battle of Atoleiros

Battle of Atoleiros

The Battle of Atoleiros took place on 6 April 1384, between a Portugal force and a punitive expedition from Crown of Castile sent by John I of Castile....
.

Estremoz was again militarily important in the 17th century, during the Portuguese Restoration War

Portuguese Restoration War

Portuguese Restoration War was the name given after the 19th century by Romantic nationalism historians to the war between Portugal and Crown of Castile after the revolution of 1640, that ended the sixty years period of the dual monarchy between Portugal and Spain under the Philippine Dynasty....
(1640-1668). Forces from Estremoz took part in the decisive Battles of Ameixial

Battle of Ameixial

The Battle of Ameixial, was fought on June 8 1663, near the village of Santa Vitoria do Ameixial, some 10 km north-west of Estremoz, between Spain and Portugal as part of the Portuguese Restoration War....
(1663) and Montes Claros

Battle of Montes Claros

The Battle of Montes Claros, was fought on June 17 1665, near Vila Vi?osa, between Spain and Portugal as the last battle in the Portuguese Restoration War....
(1665), once again against the Castilians.

Marble

Together with the two other marble towns, Borba

Borba

Borba can be* the Serbian newspaper Borba * Borba, Amazonas, a municipality in Amazonas state in Brazil* the Portugal municipality of Borba ...
and Vila Viçosa

Vila Viçosa

Vila Vi?osa is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 195.0 km? and a total population of 8,745 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 5 parishes, and is located in the District of ?vora ....
, Estremoz is internationally known for its fine to medium-grained marble

Marble

Marble is a nonfoliated metamorphic rock resulting from the metamorphism of limestone, composed mostly of calcite . It is extensively used for Marble sculpture, as a architecture material, and in many other applications....
that occurs in several colours: white, cream, pink, grey or black and streaks with any combination of these colours. Especially the pink marble (Rosa Aurora and Estremoz Pink) is in high demand.

This marble has been used since Antiquity

Classical antiquity

Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome....
as a material for sculpture

Sculpture

Sculpture is Three-dimensional space artwork created by shaping or combining hard and or plastic material, sound, and or text and or light, commonly Stone sculpture , metal, glass, or wood....
and architecture

Architecture

The term architecture can refer to a process, a profession or documentation.As a process, architecture is the activity of designing and construction buildings and other physical structures by a person or a computer, primarily to provide shelter....
. The first exports in Roman times were probably for the construction of the Circus Maximus of Emerita Augusta, in today Spain

Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
. The Portuguese navigators exported this marble to Africa, India and Brazil. The marble from this region was used in famed locations such as the Monastery of Jerónimos

Jerónimos Monastery

See also Monasterio de Jer?nimos, Madrid, SpainThe Hieronymites Monastery is located in the Bel?m, Lisbon district of Lisbon, Portugal....
, the Monastery of Batalha, the Monastery of Alcobaça

Monastery of Alcobaça

The Alcoba?a Monastery is a mediaeval monastery located in the town of Alcoba?a, in central Portugal. It was founded by the first Portuguese King, Afonso Henriques, in 1153, and maintained a close association with the Kings of Portugal throughout its history....
and the Tower of Belém

Belém Tower

Bel?m Tower is a fortified tower located in the Bel?m, Lisbon district of Lisbon, Portugal.It was built in the early 16th century in the Portuguese late Gothic style, the Manueline, to commemorate Vasco da Gama's expedition....
.

There is so much marble around Estremoz that it is used everywhere; even the doorsteps, pavements and the cobble stones are made out of marble. This marble is even converted into whitewash

Whitewash

Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, or calsomine is a very low cost type of paint made from slaked lime and chalk . Various other additives have also been used....
for painting the houses.

Portugal is the second largest exporter of marble in the world, surpassed only by Italy (Carrara

Carrara

Carrara is a city in the province of Massa-Carrara , famous for the white or blue-gray marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione river, some 100 km west-northwest of Florence....
marble). About 85 % of this marble (over 370,000 tons) is produced around Estremoz.

In the quarries marble blocks are cut from the rock with a diamond wire saw, a durable steel cable with a series of circular diamond beads. The initial conduit for the wire is made by drilling a horizontal hole and a vertical hole of which the ends meet exactly inside the rock. The wire saw may need a day to cut through the marble.

Estremoz is also the name of a song by E.S. Posthumus

E.S. Posthumus

E.S. Posthumus is an Indie group that produces cinematic style music. It is a form of epic classical that fuses intertwined drum beats with orchestral and electronic sounds....
.