Portugal

In Roman times, the region belonged to the province of Gallaecia and was under the administration of Asturica Augusta (now Astorga). The Romans were followed by the Visigoths and Suebi, who incorporated this region into their empire and introduced wheat cultivation. The first documentary mention of the settlement that developed into today's Bragança was found in the records of the Council of Lugo in 569. Under the administration of King Wamba, the town was recorded as Bregancia in 666. From 711, the Visigoths were expelled by the Moors. The area was probably sparsely populated when the Reconquista emerged and pushed the Moors southwards. Due to its location on strategic transport routes, Bragança became increasingly important, especially after Portugal gained independence in 1139. King D. Sancho I rebuilt the badly damaged town, refortified it and granted it city rights in 1187. In 1199, D. Sancho I freed the town from the siege by Alfonso IX and established the current Portuguese place name. In the course of the revolution of 1383 and the attempt by the hereditary Castile to take over Portugal, Bragança fell to its neighbour. It has been Portuguese again since 1401 The Castle of Bragança has seen a turbulent history that saw occupation during the Moorish period to the devastation and reconstruction that accompanied the Christian reconquest. The castle was brought under control of King Afonso I of Portugal (1112-1185). For defensive reasons, the village was moved to the current site. It was near the hill of Benquerença on the sidelines of Fervença river, reusing them materials in the construction of new homes and a castle for defense of the people. King Sancho I (1185-1211) endowed the village with funds to construct a wall and castle in 1187. During this time, the conflict between Sancho I and León resulted in violence and saw Leonese forces taken over the village. During the reign of King Denis (1279-1325), the village erected a walled perimeter in 1293, signifying a prosperity of the village.

Chief Viriathus ("Viriato") successfully led the Lusitanians here in their resistance against the advancing Romans in the second century BC, until the latter were able to kill Viriathus and also conquer this area. Various milestones of Roman roads crossing here have been preserved. After the invasion of the Suebi and Visigoths in the 6th century AD, Viseu became a bishop's see. From the beginning of the 8th century, the region was ruled by Moors. During the Reconquista, Viseu also remained contested. In 1027, King Alfonso V of León fell during the siege of Viseu. Ferdinand I of León was finally able to conquer the region from the Arabs in 1057. During the revolution of 1383, Viseu suffered some destruction, whereupon King D. João I had the town re-fortified. The Igreja da Misericórdia is located in front of the Cathedral. The construction of the church began in 1775, with the master mason António da Costa Faro responsible for the work and perhaps also the author of the design of the rococo façade.

Chief Viriathus ("Viriato") successfully led the Lusitanians here in their resistance against the advancing Romans in the second century BC, until the latter were able to kill Viriathus and also conquer this area. Various milestones of Roman roads crossing here have been preserved. After the invasion of the Suebi and Visigoths in the 6th century AD, Viseu became a bishop's see. From the beginning of the 8th century, the region was ruled by Moors. During the Reconquista, Viseu also remained contested. In 1027, King Alfonso V of León fell during the siege of Viseu. Ferdinand I of León was finally able to conquer the region from the Arabs in 1057. During the revolution of 1383, Viseu suffered some destruction, whereupon King D. João I had the town re-fortified. Archaeological research has shown that there was an early Christian basilica on the site of Viseu Cathedral, which was built during the time of Suevian rule (5th-6th century), as Pope John III had already established a bishopric here in 572. After the reconquista, a first church was built from 1094 to 1114 on the site of today's cathedral. The new cathedral was built between 1289 and 1313 under King Dinis I, and the first cloister was added in 1379. The main portal of the cathedral was built in 1513. In the 16th century, the cloister was also extended and the sacristy was built. In the 17th century, the north tower of the façade was rebuilt in its old form following a collapse. Since then, the exterior of the church has remained largely unchanged, although it has been regularly renovated. The cathedral is a mixture of different architectural styles. From Romanesque to Manueline. A Lourdes scene

Chief Viriathus ("Viriato") successfully led the Lusitanians here in their resistance against the advancing Romans in the second century BC, until the latter were able to kill Viriathus and also conquer this area. Various milestones of Roman roads crossing here have been preserved. After the invasion of the Suebi and Visigoths in the 6th century AD, Viseu became a bishop's see. From the beginning of the 8th century, the region was ruled by Moors. During the Reconquista, Viseu also remained contested. In 1027, King Alfonso V of León fell during the siege of Viseu. Ferdinand I of León was finally able to conquer the region from the Arabs in 1057. Archaeological research has shown that there was an early Christian basilica on the site of Viseu Cathedral, which was built during the time of Suevian rule (5th-6th century), as Pope John III had already established a bishopric here in 572. After the reconquista, a first church was built from 1094 to 1114 on the site of today's cathedral. The new cathedral was built between 1289 and 1313 under King Dinis I, and the first cloister was added in 1379. The main portal of the cathedral was built in 1513. The Museu de Arte Sacra is housed in the complex of Viseu Cathedral. Christ - 13th century - the figure was used to represent the Descent from the Cross during Holy Week.

With around 80,000 inhabitants, Aveiro is the second largest city in the Centro region (after Coimbra). Aveiro was a center of salt production and a trading center in the Middle Ages. Born in Aveiro in the 16th century, Joao Affonso was one of the first seafarers to visit the rich fishing grounds of Newfoundland, and Aveiro's fishermen soon took an active part in the lucrative fishing industry there. As a result, the population rose to 14,000 inhabitants. Due to a storm, the harbor entrance silted up in 1575 to such an extent that shipping and fishing were severely impaired. Fertile land became marshy. The population fell to around 3,500 by the end of the 18th century. Aveiro was slow to recover. In 1808, after several unsuccessful attempts, a new port entrance was opened. The preserved chapel corresponds to the pediment of the main façade and the openings are decorated with shells, scrolls, wreaths and rosettes. It is possible that there was once a chapel here, built to commemorate the royal wedding of D. Dinis and D. Isabel de Aragão, which was celebrated in this village in 1282. However, the current chapel was built in 1568 and reconstructed in 1778. It is built in the Baroque style and has a hexagonal floor plan. It is only opened once a day, on August 24. On this day, the devil walks through the area and the faithful avoid risky work as strange occurrences can happen. Legend has it that St. Bartholomew only frees the devil on this day to escape his fury because he is chained up all year round.

With around 80,000 inhabitants, Aveiro is the second largest city in the Centro region (after Coimbra). Aveiro was a center of salt production and a trading center in the Middle Ages. Born in Aveiro in the 16th century, Joao Affonso was one of the first seafarers to visit the rich fishing grounds of Newfoundland, and Aveiro's fishermen soon took an active part in the lucrative fishing industry there. As a result, the population rose to 14,000 inhabitants. Due to a storm, the harbor entrance silted up in 1575 to such an extent that shipping and fishing were severely impaired. Fertile land became marshy. The population fell to around 3,500 by the end of the 18th century. Aveiro was slow to recover. In 1808, after several unsuccessful attempts, a new port entrance was opened.

The church of São Martinho, also known as Mosteiro de Mancelos (Monastery of Mancelos). A monastery was mentioned here as early as 1120. It was built in the middle of the 13th century. The church has a rectangular nave and a choir, typical of the Portuguese Romanesque style. The tower was converted into a bell tower in more recent times. The main portal of the church is an important feature of the Romanesque style, with a simple tympanum and capitals with various plant motifs. The tympanum is supported by consoles in the shape of monster figures in atlantes poses.. Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso (prev. uploads) was buried here.

With around 250,000 inhabitants, Porto is the largest city in the north of Portugal. More than 1.7 million people live in the "Greater Porto area", the metropolitan region. The historic centre of Porto was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. Port wine is named after Porto because the wineries of Vila Nova de Gaia on the south bank of the Douro River are the centres for packaging, transporting and exporting the fortified wine. I have uploaded many photos from previous visits. So I will limit myself and only upload a few. In its own words, this is a "Cathdrale of port wine".

The Armenteira monastery was founded in 1149 by the noble Don Ero and joined the Cistercian order in 1162. It belonged to the filiation of the primary abbey of Clairvaux. The monastery received donations from Alfonso VI and Ferdinand II. The abolition of the monastery in 1837 brought an end to the monastery, which fell into disrepair until a society of friends of the monastery was formed in 1963. In 1989, a community of Trappist nuns moved into the monastery. The church, begun around 1167, was completed in 1225. The nave in the shape of a Latin cross has three aisles. The rose window

The Iron Age castle rampart of "Old Sarum" was built in the 4th century BC. This was later used as a fortress by the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons and finally, from the 11th century, by the Normans. At the time of the Saxon invasions, Old Sarum fell to King Cynric of Wessex. The Saxons favoured settlements in the lowlands and largely ignored Old Sarum until the Viking invasions prompted King Alfred of Wessex to rebuild the fortifications. However Old Sarum was abandoned by its inhabitants and was sacked and burnt down by the Danish-Norwegian king Sweyn Forkbeard in 1003. After the Norman invasion a castle was built by 1070, which was directly under the control of the Norman kings. In 1075, the Council of London installed the first Bishop of Salisbury, named Herman. He and his successor, Saint Osmund, began the construction of the first Salisbury cathedral, that was completed in 1092.[ In 1220, Bishop Richard Poore of Sarum began building a new cathedral about three kilometres away in the valley south of the fortress of Old Sarum. This was the nucleus of today's city of Salisbury, initially under the name New Sarum. Just seven years later, Salisbury was granted city rights. The cathedral was consecrated in 1258 after only 38 years of construction. Due to the short construction period of the cathedral, its architectural style largely corresponds to the early English Gothic style. The free building site and the generous financial support of Henry III were decisive for the rapid completion. The crossing tower, which was added in the early 14th century, has been the tallest church tower in Great Britain at 123 metres since 1561, after the collapse of the crossing tower of the old St Paul's Cathedral. The only major sections begun later were the cloisters, added in 1240, the chapter house in 1263, the tower and spire, which at 123 m dominated the skyline from 1330. In total, 70,000 tons of stone, 3,000 tons of timber and 450 tons of lead were used in the construction of the cathedral. In the 17th century, Christopher Wren designed restoration measures to strengthen the central pillars, which by then had visibly deformed under the weight of the tower and spire. Significant changes to the cathedral were made by the architect James Wyatt in 1790, including the replacement of the original rood screen and demolition of a bell tower which stood northwest of the main building. The floor plan of Salisbury Cathedral shows a three-aisled basilica with two transepts.