Tavira Guide

Every Saturday in the months of July, August and September, the Palacio da Galeria/Municipal Museum of Tavira invites you on four strolls through the city. Respecting a chronological order and aiming, globally, at telling part of the history of Tavira using its urban and architectural forms as a starting point, each itinerary is equally autonomous.

Tavira Medieval

05 July * 02 August * 06 September
Urban route that explains the fortified walls from the Islamic Period. From the Christian Period, two “neighbourhoods” will be visited: Mouraria Arab Quarters and the S. Francisco Convent.

Tavira of the Discoveries

12 July * 09 August * 13 September
At the end of the Middle Ages the city expands the walls and approaches the river and the sea - it is the beginning of the Discoveries, in whose process Tavira played a crucial role. What has changed in the city? How did the Manuelino style appear and later the Renaissance come about?

Baroque Tavira

19 July * 16 August * 20 September
From the 17th century, the churches changed their interiors into “treasures of gold and porcelain”. How did the new trend manifest itself outside the churches? Why is the urban landscape of Tavira dotted with towers and domes? How are the Baroque shapes and forms reflected in the city’s convents and palaces?

Contemporary Tavira

26 July * 23 August * 27 September
In 19th century Tavira, the construction of the Jardim do Coreto (Bandstand Garden), a place where one would go only to stroll, to See and be Seen! marks the committing of a space associated with new social habits. This is the starting point for a route through 20th century architecture where we come face to face with the “confrontation” between modernist architecture and the so called “português suave” architecture.

Organized by:
Palacio da Galeria
Museu Municipal de Tavira

Start: 6:30 pm
Exceptionally, on 5 July, the visit will start at 5:30 pm
Duration: approx. 1 hour
Meeting Point: Palacio da Galeria/ MMT
Maximum recommended: 40 people
Guide: Rita Manteigas - Art Historian
Free

Informations:
Serviço Educativo do Palacio da Galeria/ MMT
Tel: +351 281 320 500 (ext. 324)
edu.museus[at]cm-tavira.pt

Table of contents for Route 2:

• Route 2: The Defense of the coastline against attacks from the Sea (part 1 of 3)
• Route 2: The Defense of the coastline against attacks from the Sea (part 2 of 3)
• Route 2: The Defense of the coastline against attacks from the Sea (part 3 of 3)

At the advent of modern times, the city of Tavira witnessed great vigor and development which dwindled when the course of the Gilão River was diverted. The movements of armies departing for the conquests in North Africa and in defense of the areas which were under threat contributed much to this splendor. These factors helped Tavira to very quickly become the chief region of the Algarve, since it served as a port of call for all [ships] and a departure point for passengers and goods from the region, which included lots of honey, wax, leather goods, dried fish, dates, horses and livestock, among others, which brought great wealth to the land.

Commerce and the conquest campaigns, as well as the almadravas (traditional tuna fishing craft or armações do atum) brought great economic prosperity to the Algarve, but also a big problem: pirates and privateering. Boats, almadravas and villages became attractive, often being soft targets. In 1577, Brother João de S. José, author of Corografia do Reino do Algarve (Chorology of the Kingdom of the Algarve), described the instability in Tavira due to enemies who often carried out exercises on this coastline, which they [the noblemen residing in Tavira] watched over day and night in summertime, with their feet in stirrups and a lance in their hand. The incursions carried out into enemy territory by the Berbers were frequent and violent between the months of April and September, and were aimed at the following: obtaining agricultural products and tuna. Sometimes people were captured and reduced to lavery.

According to Valdemar Coutinho, what forced the Portuguese to take more defensive than offensive measures from the XVIth century onwards was above all the political and religious attitudes in Magreb. Religious leaders linked to a Zawiya (a type of convent), with great power over the people, incited political leaders to Yihad (jihad) against the Christians of North Africa and against the southern coast of the Iberian Peninsula, through attacks by privateers and pirates, which had devastating effects on the coastal populations.

Table of contents for Route 2:

• Route 2: The Defense of the coastline against attacks from the Sea (part 1 of 3)
• Route 2: The Defense of the coastline against attacks from the Sea (part 2 of 3)
• Route 2: The Defense of the coastline against attacks from the Sea (part 3 of 3)

In a region which is intimately linked with the sea and its riches, populations have long been establishing themselves along the coastline, exploiting marine resources, simultaneously blessed with the ease of contact with the sea and vulnerable to the evil intentions of some people brought to their door by the immense ocean.

In order to address these dangers, defensive systems were created throughout the centuries. These were of varying effectiveness, more or less in step with the military innovations which threatened them and especially conditioned by the political and economic stability of a country whose nerve centre was too far away.

In the municipality of Tavira, there are various examples of coastal defensive structures. However, of all the known structures on the coastline, only three have survived. The others were lost in time (due to their abandonment when their defensive qualities became obsolete), and are only known due to their having been recorded in historical texts. The oldest of the three structures is the circular tower at the site of Torre d’Aires, which was followed by the construction of Forte de Rato and Forte de S. João em Cabanas.