'Chaves' (
pron. ) is a city and a municipality (called "concelho" in Portuguese) in
Portugal, located in the
district of Vila Real. The city is the most populous of the district and the municipality is the second most populous in the district. It is located 10 km south of the Spanish border and just 22 km south of
VerÃn. The district capital,
Vila Real, is 60 km south on National Highway 02.
Aquae Flaviae is the ancient
Roman name for this city.
The population of the concelho or municipality of Chaves was 44,186 in 2004, of which 17,535
[1] lived in the urban area, or the city itself. The area of the
municipality is 591.3 km². The elevation is 460 meters.
Trajano's Bridge
The town has always had great historical importance, being the site of an important
Roman garrison and later being in the forefront of resistance during the
Napoleonic invasions of the early nineteenth century. In Portuguese military history Chaves is especially famous for two battles: the
siege of Chaves by French forces in 1807 and the
Royalist attack on Chaves led by
Henrique Paiva Couceiro in 1912.
Chaves is a town of fortifications. There is the keep of a medieval castle and two forts, Forte São Francisco and Forte São Neutel, both built in the 17th century. Nearby, two medieval fortifications still exist - the Torre (tower) de Sto. Estêvão, in the plain, and the Castelo (castle) de Monforte, in the mountains. The original
Roman bridge in Chaves crossing the
Tamega still stands with its stone arches and is the most important tourist site of the town. The hot springs (73 degrees Celsius)of Chaves have been famous since Roman times and today many people come to the town to take the water cure.
Agriculture and services are still the main sources of income. The traditional prosperity of Chaves comes, mainly, from a highly fertile plain, nine km. long and three to five wide, called a "veiga". Since the land can be irrigated with canals there is intensive farming, mainly of potatoes, corn, rye, hay, and plots of vegetables for sale in the local market. There is one main canal which begins near Vila Verde da Raia and crosses the valley on the right bank of the
Tâmega as far as Nantes.
On the whole, the land is made up of small plots that are rarely economically viable. There is some dairy farming, and a milk production unit on the south side of town, but few cows can be seen in the valley. In general most of the farmers are of retirement age and farming is often pursued more as a hobby than as a profession.
In addition to agriculture there are some small industries producing glass, tiles, and food products. Like
Vila Pouca de Aguiar located thirty km south this is
granite country. There are several granite extraction and finishing industries. There are also three brickworks on the south side of the city. There are two mineral water plants in nearby
Vidago, which belongs to the municipality.
Many of the local people have emigrated to northern Europe, especially
France. In August these emigrants return to visit their villages and the population of Chaves doubles. It is a time of weddings and village festivals.
The castle in Chaves
The climate in Chaves is transitional between Atlantic Maritime Temperate and Continental. The mountains between the
Minho region and
Tras-os-Montes serve as a climatic barrier and lessen rainfall as one moves in an easterly direction. Winters can be cold with January highs rarely reaching 10º and lows often going below zero. Thick fog hovering over the valley is also common on dry days. Summer is characterized by dry days with maximums around 30º and minimums around 15º. Summer brush fires can often make this season unpleasant.
Chaves has always been isolated from the coastal urban centers and has suffered from a lack of convenient road communications. Recently, a new non-toll four-lane highway (A24) was opened to traffic. It links Chaves to Vila Real, and in the future will be connected to Spain. In Vila Pouca de Aguiar it also connects with the A7 highway that leads to
Porto.
In Chaves, was born João Gonçalves da Costa, who at the age of 16, went to Brazil to work for the Portuguese King Dom João V, conquering lands in the interior in an area called “Sertão da Resacaâ€. He fought against local Indians and in 1783 he founded a Vila which later would become the city of
Vitoria da Conquista, in the state of
Bahia, with almost 300,000 people.
Tourist Sights
The Chaves Castle
King Dom Dinis built the Chaves Castle in the fourteenth century. The history of this castle is fused with the history of Chaves. In 1383 D. João I donated the town and the castle to the Condestável Nuno Ãlvares Pereira, who helped defeat the faction opposed to the new king and who were occupying the castle. This knight included the castle in the dowry of his daughter Beatriz when she married Afonso, Count of Barcelos, King João’s bastard son, who later became the first Duke of Bragança (1371-14561). His statue is in the square in front of the town hall. For this reason, some writers refer to the castle as the castle of the Duke of Bragança.
In the Middle Ages we know that the inhabitants of the region drifted to the population centers, one of which was Chaves, located on a rise overlooking the Tâmega valley. There they concentrated so that in groups that could build walls and protect themselves. This was the situation at the time of the Reconquista. Being a zone of passage in the years of war, which was almost always, the walls of the vila of Chaves were built, destroyed, and again rebuilt each time one of the factions, Christian or Muslim, occupied the castle. It is probable that for several periods the town was even completely abandoned. For lack of written documents our information is sketchy.
In 1253 Afonso III supported the reconstruction and, according to documents, in 1258 granted Chaves the status of a vila. The new tower was in some ways a copy of that built by the Castilians in the castle of Monterrey, near VerÃn. Later most of the wall was rebuilt, but the advent of artillery would soon make the castle obsolete, and like its sister in Monterrey it would fall into ruin.
The townsfolk themselves probably caused the worst damage. Looking for material to build their houses and walls, they slowly stripped the castle of its granite blocks. When the locals today refer to the castle they are talking about the keep tower that has been kept in a reasonably good state. It is a tall tower, about eight or nine floors. Surrounded by a pretty and impeccably kept garden, with colorful flower borders, the keep is now used to house a military museum. The first two floors are rather predictably filled with ancient guns and armor, but the upper floors provide an interesting insight into the Portuguese experience of World War I and her colonial wars in Angola and elsewhere. The view of the Alto Tâmega from the battlements is superb. On very hot summer days it is not unusual to see a column of smoke rising in the distance. Forest fires, normally caused through the carelessness of visitors when the heat has made the undergrowth as dry as tinder, are a common occurrence.
Medieval Quarter
Although many of the old buildings outside the historical walls in Chaves have been demolished to make way for apartment blocks—some of them because they were literally falling down-- the medieval quarter, with its Straight Street—something every Portuguese small town had—and São Antonio Street have been declared a protected zone. Here we can find small, narrow houses, with several floors to take advantage of the reduced interior space. The medieval town was very small because the walls limited it. It had only four or five hundred inhabitants when João I in 1386 conquered it: a fact that surprised the king. Outside the walls, there was not one house; only fields. This was necessary because of the frontier location of the town and the imminent risk of invasion. The streets were very narrow. Straight Street (it wasn’t straight at all but direct), the most important, crossed the village from end to end. It was known by this name because it was the “straight “ way between the two main gates of the fortress.
To take maximum advantage of the limited space it was customary to build balconies on the first floor, which came out over the street. The balcony on the second floor then extended over that on the first, and so on. At the top the houses almost touched, leaving most of the street covered from rain or sun. The balconies were of pine or oak. On the upper floors there were residences and on the lower floors there were shops and small factories. If we walk along the Rua Direita we can still see some of these varandas
The Hot Springs
The hot springs, or Caldas, of Chaves, known all over Portugal, were formerly only a group of hot water springs. Today, after recent renovations, it is a modern thermal complex, receiving thousands of visitors every year, especially in the summer. Many of the small pensiones in the old part of the town are dependent on the influx of termalistas, usually retired people, who come annually to take the waters. The termas are located between the castle and the river, in front of a large area of grass-covered park with playgrounds and tennis courts.
The Chaves termas belong to a vast area of springs that stretches from VerÃn in Galicia as far south as Pedras Salgadas, 30 kilometers from Chaves, on the road to Vila Real. Despite its vastness and abundance of water, this thermal system is little utilized. Of the nine groups of thermal springs there are only adequate installations in four of them, Chaves, Carvalhelhos, Vidago, Pedras Salgadas, and VerÃn.
The waters of Chaves spring forth from three springs and a temperature of 73ºC. Of all the bicarbonate of soda waters of Europe, these are the hottest. This thermal presence is a rare geological phenomenon because in this area there is no evidence of volcanic activity. They are indicated for numerous treatments, including stomach, liver, intestinal, and kidney ailments. For internal medicine the main technique of application is drinking the water.
During the Roman period the distances on the highways were indicated with reference to Aquas, which demonstrates their importance in the region. Aquas or Aqua Flaviae was a Roman settlement built on the present-day site of Chaves. The Waters of Flavius, emperor in whose reign the hot water was supposedly first utilized, were used in a bathing pool, which has long since disappeared. Curiously, these hot springs that were so important for the Romans and then fell into disuse with the decadence of the town, were only exploited scientifically after 1945. Despite modernization they have yet to attract large numbers of users.
The Forts
Forte São Francisco
With the coming of the middle ages the medieval town of Chaves, strongly protected by the defense of the border with Galicia, became unprotected. It was understood that it had to fortify itself, garrison the nearby hilltops, in order to keep them from being occupied by enemy artillery. The first to be considered was the hill of Pedisqueira, where there was a Franciscan convent. It was decided, during the final phase of the war of Independence from Spain (1658-1662), to build a fort according to the modern concepts of military engineering. This fort played an important role in the Napoleonic invasion of Portugal in 1807 when it was captured by Marshall Soult and then retaken when a light garrison was left to guard it. It was also the scene of several pro-royalist revolts in the early eighteenth century and later in 1910 with the advent of the Republic.
The fort is still standing in a reasonable state of preservation. The recent acquisition of the site by a hotel group and the construction of a four star hotel utilizing the old buildings has given new life to a monument that had sadly become a ruin inhabited by rats, garbage, and drug addicts.
The fort is simple; its plan based on the Vauban system, with a four-pointed star, each one serving as a lookout tower. The walls are all of granite, with about one meter of thickness. The height varies according to the slope of the terrain, but the maximum point has 20 meters. The main entrance faces the south, with a drawbridge over the moat that no longer exists. There are other gates, to the east and west. To go inside we follow a tunnel that leads to the center of the fort. Inside, besides the old church of São Francisco, where for three centuries lay the sarcophagus of the first Duke of Bragança, there are other buildings which have been artistically converted into hotel rooms. These had served the army as barracks for many years, and later were used to lodge families that had returned from the Portuguese colonies when these got their independence in the 1970s. A visit to the fort is well worth it, if not to stay in the hotel, but only to walk around the outside walls and contemplate the impressive view of Chaves.
Forte de São Neutel
This fort was built to protect the northern hill against a possible invasion from Spain during the War or Independence in the seventeenth century. It wasn’t connected to the defense system of Chaves so its builders had to provide it with a second external war and an internal moat based on the Vauban system. It follows the irregularities of the terrain and it also has a quadrangular design, having on the corners towers that extend out over the moat. This has no water now nor did it before, since that was not its function. Because of the moat the access to the interior was made across a solid stone bridge. The walls are a meter and a half thick and 7 to 10 meters high, and are made of granite. Inside there is a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Springs where there is an annual pilgrimage. There are also small buildings that were constructed to house a military garrison. All military activity has now been transferred to the base located next door, but the castle still belongs to the army and is usually closed. On the west side is located the Chaves football stadium, which plays host to a professional team which has often been in the First Division of Portuguese football.
The Churches
Santa Maria Maior
Santa Maria Maior is what passes for a cathedral in the town, even though Chaves long ago lost its bishopric to Vila Real. To find the last bishop we have to go back to the fifth century when Odacio, a Roman bishop for more than 40 years, related in the Chronicon the Suevian invasions of the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Later, Frumario, a barbarian king who destroyed the city, made him prisoner. Released, he returned to his church, which had been severely damaged. But he couldn’t prevent the temple being demolished by the Visigoths. After the Arabic occupation in 716 there was no longer a bishopric in Chaves.
Construction dates to the year 1100 and the church is Romanesque in the main door and the bell tower with two bells. In the sixteenth century renovations in the Renaissance style took place, completely modifying the church, and additional restoration took place in 1968. Unfortunately, due to paving a square in front and on the sides, the church looks to the observer to have been partially buried.
Today it conserves its Romanesque style—solid granite blocks and austere-- broken only by the side door of elegant proportions with busts of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The interior, described as poor in a 1960 encyclopedia, has only slightly improved. There are three naves separated by 4 cylindrical columns, on which are 8 arches. A stone-ribbed dome covers the main chapel. The walls of undecorated stone lend an air of austerity not helped by the unpainted oak ceiling, which supports the roof. Fortunately the stained glass windows allow the entrance of some light into the building.
Behind the church, high up on a wall, you can see a statue of Santa Maria Maior, the patron Virgin of the region. Above that, under the cornice of the roof, someone who must have known the bad intentions of his fellow towns people, had these words carved as a curse: “A Las Malas Lengoas Estas Figasâ€, which means, “For gossipers I give you the finger.†A figa is a closed fist with your thumb through the middle fingers, resembling a fig, but also the female sexual organ. To give someone the figa is to tell him to have sex with himself. In Brazil it is a good luck charm and can also be used to ward off the evil eye.
Igreja da Madalena
For a long time, Santa Maria Maior was the seat of the only parish in Chaves. But, in 1969 a second parish was created in the town, located on the left bank of the Tâmega River. This is called Madalena. Its seat is the Church of SãoJoão de Deus, also called Madalena Church.
This temple dates from the eighteenth century, being built during the reign of D. João VI, who maintained it. His coat of arms appears on the main door. It was originally designed as a chapel since it was built next to a military hospital. In this hospital at the end of the century there was a “School of Anatomy and Surgery of Chavesâ€, one of the four schools of surgery in the country.
The church includes neoclassic and baroque elements. It has a very high façade, which contrasts with the narrow and humble street it lies on. Because the narrow street makes it difficult to appreciate the grandeur of the structure you must stretch your neck to see the baroque sculptures high above.
Igreja da Misericordia
According to many locals, the most beautiful church in Chaves is the Igreja da Misericordia, located very near the Igreja Matriz, next door to the old Misericordia hospital and close to the castle.
Built in the seventeenth century this church is typically baroque. Tradition has it that it was the chapel of the Dukes of Bragança. It is a relatively small temple with four Greek columns on the façade. Halfway up we see four heads of what appear to be mythological figures, and above it all is a carving of Our Lady of Mercy—or Misericordia-- looking down on ten figures and covering them with her mantle.
The interior is totally covered with blue and white tiles from the eighteenth century, depicting figures and biblical scenes, and its wooden ceiling is painted in bright colors representing the scene of the Visitation. We know that Jeronimo Rocha Braga painted it because he signed it and put the date—1743. Lastly, the wooden altarpiece, or "retábulo" is profusely decorated with cherubs, grape bunches, and spiral shells.
Pilgrimage Sites
In the municipality of Chaves there are three important pilgrimage sites: São Caetano, (7 km from Chaves); Senhora de Aparecida, in Calvão (11 km from Chaves); and Senhora do Engaranho (Our Lady of the Afflicted), in Castelões (15 km from Chaves).
São Caetano
São Caetano is the most important and attracts tourists and the faithful in great number on the 7th of August.
São Caetano (
Saint Cajetan) was a monk of the sixteenth century who went down in history as an exceptional preacher in the service of the
Catholic Church in the
Counter Reformation and who founded the order of the
Theatines.
Inside the chapel are kept the seven images of the saint that his followers carry walking on their feet or knees around the same chapel. (The image with the handle on its back is apparently the most popular). There is also a place for keeping live chickens and another for rye that the believers bring in a pagan rite. If the chickens are ill then the farmer gives a healthy chicken to the saint so that he will cure the others. The rye is brought to ensure a good crop.
Many people from Chaves walk at night in August to pray before the image and ask for something, be it a cure or something as mundane as getting better grades at school. Those people who have farms will carry a chicken to offer the saint as a gift.
Our Lady of Aparecida
The village of Calvão is located nearby and is famous for an apparition of the Virgin in 1833, when she supposedly appeared to three shepherd children. The story is surprisingly similar to that of
Fátima. For reasons beyond our knowledge the site never achieved more than regional fame, and is almost unheard of today.
Our Lady of the Engaranho
Castelões is a small village that contains Our Lady of the "Engaranho" (Afflicted in the Legs). This avatar has a very specific function: she deals with diseases of crooked legs, crossed legs or any other thing that makes walking difficult.
Children make up a special clientele. The ritual calls for washing the child in the water of the tiny rocky pool, located next to the chapel, leaving the clothes the child is wearing, and putting on others before returning by another route.
But faith in the Lady of the Afflicted is not limited to those with leg problems. When the author of Roteiros de Chaves was taking his pictures, an old woman was washing her ears with the water of the small pool. Asked why she was doing so she answered, “Because my ears hurt, to see if they get better.†(Roteiros de Chaves, 98-105)
Visiting both of these places it is no wonder that "Virgins" were seen in a period of ignorance and isolation from the modern world. Nearby is a pre-Roman "Castro", called erroneously "Castle of the Moors" . The area is lonely but beautiful in a rugged way.
Parishes
The parishes of Chaves are:
★ Ãguas Frias
★ Anelhe
★ Arcossó
★ Bobadela
★ Bustelo
★ Calvão
★ Cela
★ Cimo de Vila da Castanheira
★ Curalha
★ Eiras
★ Ervededo
★ Faiões
★ Lamadarcos
★ Loivos
★ Madalena (Chaves)
★ Mairos
★ Moreiras
★ Nogueira da Montanha |
★ Oucidres
★ Oura
★ Outeiro Seco
★ Paradela
★ Póvoa de Agrações
★ Redondelo
★ Roriz
★ Samaiões (Chaves)
★ Sanfins
★ Sanjurge (Chaves)
★ Santa Cruz - Trindade
★ Santa Leocádia
★ Santa Maria Maior (Chaves)
★ Santo António de Monforte
★ Santo Estêvão
★ São Julião de Montenegro |
★ São Pedro de Agostém
★ São Vicente
★ Seara Velha
★ Selhariz
★ Soutelinho da Raia
★ Soutelo
★ Travancas
★ Tronco
★ Vale de Anta (Chaves)
★ Vidago
★ Vila Verde da Raia
★ Vilar de Nantes (Chaves)
★ Vilarelho da Raia
★ Vilarinho das Paranheiras
★ Vilas Boas
★ Vilela do Tâmega
★ Vilela Seca |
Gallery
References
1. UMA POPULAÇÃO QUE SE URBANIZA, Uma avaliação recente - Cidades, 2004 Nuno Pires Soares, Instituto Geográfico Português (Geographic Institute of Portugal)
External links
★
Municipality official website
★
Thermal official website
★
Map of Chaves
★
Chaves (in English)
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