Amareleja

{{Short description|Civil parish of the municipality of Moura in Portugal}}

{{Infobox Portuguese subdivision |type = parish |official_name = Amareleja |image_skyline = HPIM1731.JPG |image_caption = The Old clock-tower and battlements in the centre of Amaraleja |image_flag = |image_shield = |image_location = |region = Alentejo |CIM = Baixo Alentejo |district = Beja |municipality = Moura |coordinates = {{coord|38.208|-7.228|type:adm1st_region:PT_dim:50000|display=inline,title}} |elevation = |area_total = 108.56 |population_as_of = 2011 |population_total = 2564 |patron = |area_code = 285 |postal_code = 7885 |website = {{website|https://amareleja.com.sapo.pt}} }}

'''Amareleja''' ({{IPA|pt-PT|ɐmɐɾɨˈle(j)ʒɐ|pron}} {{IPA|pt-PT|ɐmɐɾɨˈlɐjʒɐ|label=or}}) is a Portuguese civil parish of the municipality of Moura in the district of Beja. The population in 2011 was 2,564<ref name="ine">{{Cite web|title=Statistics Portugal - Web Portal|url=https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xlang=en&xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_indicadores&indOcorrCod=0005889&contexto=pi&selTab=tab0|access-date=2021-05-07|website=www.ine.pt}}</ref> in an area of {{Convert|108.56|km2|abbr=on}}.<ref name=dgt>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dgterritorio.pt/cartografia_e_geodesia/cartografia/carta_administrativa_oficial_de_portugal_caop_/caop__download_/carta_administrativa_oficial_de_portugal___versao_2017__em_vigor_/ |title=Áreas das freguesias, concelhos, distritos e país |access-date=2018-11-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105172426/http://www.dgterritorio.pt/cartografia_e_geodesia/cartografia/carta_administrativa_oficial_de_portugal_caop_/caop__download_/carta_administrativa_oficial_de_portugal___versao_2017__em_vigor_/ |archive-date=2018-11-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==History== [[File:Central Solar Fotovoltaica de Amareleja - Portugal (3365791344).jpg|thumb|right|The Amareleja Photovoltaic Power Station was completed in 2010]]

Archeological vestiges from the Roman epoch are found in the north of the village until the margins of the River Ardila, but they suggest the fields of Amaraleja were occupied by various generations during the pre-history of the region.<ref name="JFHistoria">{{cite web|url=https://amareleja.com.sapo.pt/frame_inicio.htm|title=História|accessdate=5 July 2011|year=2010|editor=Junta Freguesia|publisher=Junta Freguesia de Amareleja|language=Portuguese|location=Amaraleja (Moura), Portugal|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811101146/http://amareleja.com.sapo.pt/frame_inicio.htm|archive-date=11 August 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Antas (dolmens), burial tombs, wall paintings, flint implements, vestiges of metal smelting and Bronze Age tombs (carved into the hills) have been discovered by farmers or during road construction.<ref name=JFHistoria/> Roman remnants include the pavements of buildings, circular burial tombs with bowls and fragments of bone, coins with the inscriptions of Emperor Claudius, roof tile, masonry and milling stones.<ref name=JFHistoria/> In Barranco de Valtamujo there remains of a Roman bridge, that possibly connect to another along the Ardila River, and near the port of Castelo. This bridge provided a daily crossing for the residents along the margins of the Vale de Navarro, which is known for having many vestiges from antiquity.<ref name=JFHistoria/>

During the reign of Sancho II, the municipal seat of Moura was conquered from the Moors, and a feudal seigneurial system was imposed in the region. Sancho relinquished the village to the Knights Hospitaller, who left their marks in the region of Amareleja (including erecting their cross in some sites). Some of the early buildings were influenced by the Order and other high nobles, who sent their shepherds and herds to graze in this part of the Kingdom.<ref name=JFHistoria/> Over time a small agglomeration began to form in the area called ''Montinha'', in the place that was later known as ''aldeia velha'' (''old farm'').<ref name=JFHistoria/>

By November 1481, in the ''Cortes'' of the city of Évora, the representatives of the people determined the need to create chapels and hospitals in various comarcas of the Kingdom. It was during this meeting that Mareleja began to receive religious attention, but few formal records after 1527 identify what became of these deliberations: it was referenced during King John III's census (1527), identifying a small agglomeration of 55 dwellings.<ref name=JFHistoria/>

By the end of the 15th century the religious needs of these people led to the construction on Montinha of the ''Igrejinha de Santo António'' (in honour of Saint Anthony of Padua, who was considered the patron saint of cattle). By this time the village had already existed for approximately five hundred years.<ref name=JFHistoria/> Parish records first identified the location as Amareleja in 1534. Until the present, there has been no firm explanation as to the name of this parish. On 10 April 1677, the parish priest, who published a book referring to the parish of ''Nossa Senhora de Concepsao de Marileiga''.<ref name=JFHistoria/> A similar document, dated 1 April 1695, also confirmed this designation and suggest a corruption of the original ''Marileiga''. Another opinion, suggest that the settlement's name derived from the abundant yellow flowers in the region at the time, who the early settlers (likely from Beira Baixa) called ''Campo das Amarelas'' ({{langx|pt|Field of the Yellows}}).<ref name=JFHistoria/> Finally, there also exist two properties between the village and the Spanish frontier that have the name ''Amarales'' and ''Amarela'', and may have derived from these place names.

Amareleja was a victim of Spanish pillaging during the Restoration Wars; 300 mounted soldiers entered the village and sacked the homes, left, and returned later to re-sack the populace, which put up no resistance.<ref name=JFHistoria/> A map from the 18th century, identifying the Alentejo campaigns during this period, shows the encounters between Spanish and Portuguese forces in Marilla (Amarelas) and Pedras, which were places near Amareleja.<ref name=JFHistoria/> During one pastoral visit (29 June 1717) by Francisco Taborda described the local church as lacking ornamentation, following the Spanish invasions. Later, an order from the Bishop of Beja on 23 December 1773, to have records of baptisms and marriages sent to the bishopric: consequently, many of these books have disappeared. Many of the older documents from the parish, housed in the ''Torre do Tombo'', refer to 1793.<ref name=JFHistoria/>

After the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, which affected most of the country to some degree, the local Matriz Church was damaged. Following these events, the Portuguese archbishopric petitioned Pope Benedict XIV to invoke Saint Francisco de Borja in Portugal's post disaster reconstruction, promising processions throughout the cities and towns in the Kingdom, on the second Sunday in November.<ref name=JFHistoria/>

Amareleja ceased to belong to the jurisdiction of Évora on 23 August 1842 and began to pertain to the district of Beja.<ref name=JFHistoria/>

On 4 April 1990, in decree 513/V, Amareleja was elevated to the status of village, although the population was less than the 3,000 residents required by law (2758).<ref name=JFHistoria/> A parliamentary debate on 8 September suggested that the lack of voters was the result of carelessness on the part of the voters, during the survey.<ref name=JFHistoria/> Finally, on 20 June 1991, the Parliament approved the change, and it was enacted on August 16.

In 2010, stage 2 of the construction of the Amareleja Photovoltaic Power Station was completed.

==Geography and Climate== thumb|right|Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição Amaraleja is situated on the right margin of the Ardila River, in the extreme north of the municipality of Moura, not far from the Spanish border; it is surrounded west by the parishes of Santo Amador and Póvoa de São Miguel, southwest by Safara, southeast by the municipality of Barrancos (parish of Barrancos) and east by the municipality of Mourão (parish of Granja).

===Climate=== Amareleja has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen: ''Csa''), bodering on a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen: ''BSk'') with very hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Nights remain cool throughout the year. It is one of the driest and hottest municipalities in Portugal. Like the rest of Alentejo and Ribatejo, Amareleja is very prone to heat waves in the summer months and has recorded one of the highest temperatures ever in Europe at {{convert|47.4|°C|°F|abbr=on}}. Amareleja records an average of 53 days per year with maximum temperatures equal to or greater than {{cvt|35|C|F}}.<ref name=recordhightemp>[https://www.ipma.pt/pt/oclima/extremos.clima/ Extremes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621130444/http://www.ipma.pt/pt/oclima/extremos.clima |date=21 June 2017}} Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera, IPMA</ref>

{{Weather box |location = Amareleja, elevation: {{convert|183|m|abbr=on|disp=or}}, 1991-2020 normals, extremes (1963-present, with 2003 record high) |metric first = yes |single line = yes |Jan record high C = 24.5 |Feb record high C = 27.0 |Mar record high C = 31.6 |Apr record high C = 36.7 |May record high C = 39.8 |Jun record high C = 43.9 |Jul record high C = 46.5 |Aug record high C = 47.4 |Sep record high C = 44.3 |Oct record high C = 37.2 |Nov record high C = 28.7 |Dec record high C = 25.0 |year record high C =

|Jan high C = 14.6 |Feb high C = 16.5 |Mar high C = 20.0 |Apr high C = 22.1 |May high C = 26.5 |Jun high C = 32.0 |Jul high C = 35.6 |Aug high C = 35.3 |Sep high C = 30.7 |Oct high C = 24.9 |Nov high C = 18.7 |Dec high C = 15.4 |year high C =

|Jan mean C = 9.3 |Feb mean C = 10.5 |Mar mean C = 13.4 |Apr mean C = 15.4 |May mean C = 19.0 |Jun mean C = 23.3 |Jul mean C = 26.1 |Aug mean C = 26.2 |Sep mean C = 22.9 |Oct mean C = 18.6 |Nov mean C = 13.2 |Dec mean C = 10.4 |year mean C =

|Jan low C = 3.9 |Feb low C = 4.5 |Mar low C = 6.9 |Apr low C = 8.6 |May low C = 11.4 |Jun low C = 14.7 |Jul low C = 16.6 |Aug low C = 17.0 |Sep low C = 15.1 |Oct low C = 12.2 |Nov low C = 7.8 |Dec low C = 5.3 |year low C =

|Jan record low C = -7.7 |Feb record low C = −6.1 |Mar record low C = -3.0 |Apr record low C = -2.6 |May record low C = 1.5 |Jun record low C = 4.5 |Jul record low C = 9.0 |Aug record low C = 7.5 |Sep record low C = 4.5 |Oct record low C = 0.0 |Nov record low C = -3.5 |Dec record low C = -5.5 |year record low C =

|precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 48.1 |Feb precipitation mm = 45.5 |Mar precipitation mm = 49.5 |Apr precipitation mm = 52.2 |May precipitation mm = 42.4 |Jun precipitation mm = 10.5 |Jul precipitation mm = 1.7 |Aug precipitation mm = 5.0 |Sep precipitation mm = 27.2 |Oct precipitation mm = 69.6 |Nov precipitation mm = 65.2 |Dec precipitation mm = 59.9 |year precipitation mm =

|unit precipitation days = 1 mm |Jan precipitation days = 7.3 |Feb precipitation days = 5.9 |Mar precipitation days = 6.7 |Apr precipitation days = 7.2 |May precipitation days = 5.6 |Jun precipitation days = 1.7 |Jul precipitation days = 0.4 |Aug precipitation days = 0.8 |Sep precipitation days = 3.0 |Oct precipitation days = 7.5 |Nov precipitation days = 7.5 |Dec precipitation days = 7.8 |year precipitation days =

|source 1 = IPMA<ref name=IPMA>{{cite web |url=https://www.ipma.pt/bin/file.data/climate-normal/cn_91-20_AMARELEJA.pdf |title=Normais Climatológicas – 1991-2020) – Amareleja |publisher=Instituto de Meteorologia |language = Portuguese |accessdate= 18 April 2020}}</ref> }}

{| border="0" cellpadding="20" cellspacing="0" style="float:right;" | {{stack| {{Historical populations |title = Population of<br>Amareleja<br><small>(1890 - 2011)<ref name=JFHistoria/></small> | 1890 | 3921 | 1900 | 3990 | 1911 | 4655 | 1920 | 5069 | 1930 | 5726 | 1940 | 5490 | 1950 | 6447 | 1960 | 4816 | 1970 | 3824 | 1981 | 3410 | 1991 | 3237 | 2001 | 2763 | 2011 | 2564 }} }} |}

==Architecture== ===Civic=== thumb|right|The Garducho Biological Station, located {{convert|4|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Amareleja, won the Iberian Architecture Prize in 2009<ref>{{cite web |title=Estação Biológica do Garducho |url=https://arquitecturaportuguesa.com/estacao-biologica-do-garducho/ |publisher=arquitecturaportuguesa.com |access-date=19 January 2021}}</ref> * Bridge of the Ardila river ({{langx|pt|Ponte sobre o Rio Ardila}}) * Bullring of Amareleja ({{langx|pt|Praça de Touros de Amareleja}}) * Casa do Povo of Amareleja ({{langx|pt|Casa do Povo da Amareleja}}) * Garden of Amareleja ({{langx|pt|Jardim Público de Amareleja}}) * Garducho Biological Station ({{langx|pt|Estação Biológica do Garducho}}) * New Watermill ({{langx|pt|Moinho de Água Novo}}) * Post of the Fiscal Guard of Amareleja ({{langx|pt|Quartel da Guarda Fiscal, GF, da Amareleja}}) * Residence of Palmeira ({{langx|pt|Casa da Palmeira}}) * Roman bridge of the Ardila river ({{langx|pt|Ponte Romana sobre o Rio Ardila}}) * Watermill of Caveira ({{langx|pt|Moinho de Água da Caveira}}) * Watermill of Doutores ({{langx|pt|Moinho de Água dos Doutores}}) * Watermill of Serralhão ({{langx|pt|Moinho de Água de Serralhão}}) * Watermill of Vaca ({{langx|pt|Moinho de Água da Vaca}}) * Watermill of Viegas ({{langx|pt|Moinho de Água do Viegas}}) * Watermill of Volta ({{langx|pt|Moinho de Água da Volta}})

===Religious=== * Chapel of Domingos Garcia ({{langx|pt|Capela de Domingos Garcia}}) * Chapel of Santo António ({{langx|pt|Capela de Santo António}}) * Chapel of São Vicente ({{langx|pt|Capela de São Vicente}}) * Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição ({{langx|pt|Igreja Paroquial de Amareleja/Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição}}) * Church of Relógio ({{langx|pt|Igreja da Praça/Igreja do Relógio}}) * Hermitage of Arrochais de Vale Navarro ({{langx|pt|Ermida dos Arrochais de Vale Navarro}})

==References== ===Notes=== {{Reflist}}

===Sources=== * {{citation |last=Ericeira |first=Luís de Meneses |publisher= Na offic. de Ignacio Nogueira Xisto|url=https://archive.org/details/bhistriadeportu01eric |volume=1 |location=Lisbon, Portugal |year=1751 |language=Portuguese |title=História de Portugal restaurado...}}

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Category:Freguesias of Moura, Portugal