Mértola known to the Romans as Myrtilis one of four Municipia in Lusitania. Spectacular Castle, dominating the former Roman City of Anas by Guadiana River.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
© * 2008 - 2023, 04th Stage between Alcoutim and Mértola, Renascida para a vida.*
***2019 - 2008, 04th Stage between Alcoutim and Mértola, about 36,9 km.***"Mértola, Renacida para a vida".***
*ROUTE - leaving Pousada of Alcoutim LEFT ! until EM-507, right uphill passing by Cortes Pereiras(Café) and by Afonso Vicente until N-122(km 10). Right direction Mértola along N-122 passing by Santa Marta(km 1), downhill until Bridge over Rio Vascao entering Alentejo Province. Continue following N-122 uphill by Sedas, by Espirito Santo(Café) and Álamo crossing (Café), and after Roman Bridge about 3,5 km until entering Mértola, meaning crossing another Bridge(R-L) uphill to Bombeiros de Mértola, Castle and Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Assuncao, passing also Posto de Turismo in Mértola.
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***HACHETTE - LE Routard - Portugal 2018***
-Francais: Mértola "être le premier siège des chevaliers de l'ordre de Santiago"
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Mértola known to the Romans as Myrtilis one of four Municipia in Lusitania. Spectacular Castle, dominating the former Roman City of Anas by Guadiana River.
Mértola known to the Romans as Myrtilis one of four Municipia in Lusitania. Spectacular Castle, dominating the former Roman City of Anas by Guadiana River.
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The small white town of Mértola suddenly emerges from the middle of the lonely Alentejo countryside, rising in a tiered amphitheatre up a hillside overlooking the confluence of the Guadiana and Oeiras Rivers. Dominating the town are the restored keep and ruined walls of its 13th Century fortified castle. The former mosque, now converted into a Church, testifies to Mértola´s Arab Past. Turismo Mértola 00351 286 610 109, GNR Mértola 00351 286 612 127, Bombeiros Mértola 00351 286 610 010 shelter for the night (donativo).
ReplyDeleteIgreja-Mesquita, the square plan and forest of pillars reveal the church´s origin. Look at the ancient Mihrab
ReplyDeletebehind the altar, the niche from which the Imam conducted prayers, and outside at the doorway leading to the sacristy. On leaving the church take the first street on the right. Pilgrimsmenu Eu 7 with Credencial, Rest. Boa Viagem 00351 286 612 483, Câmara Municipal de Mértola 00351 286 610 100.
Mértola. The ancient fortified town of Mértola, set in the confluence between the Guadiana and the Oeiras rivers, is one of Alentejo´s hidden gems.To get here from Serpa you can either take a secondary road to the south, or return to Beja, then take the main road south and turn off to the left. Whichever way you approach, the sight of the town´s strongly built walls crowned by a Castelo (entrance charge) is as impressive as it is unexpected. Mértola has a long history reaching back to Roman times. For five centuries under the Romans it was an important port
ReplyDeleteon the then navigable Guadiana for exporting mineral ores from the nearby Minas de S. Domingos, near the Spanish border. Its importance continued under the Visigoths and later the Moors. Twice in the 11th and 12th centuries it was capital of a kingdom which included Beja. With the growth of agricultural poduce in the region Mértola was active in exporting grain to North Africa. When Guadiana River eventually silted up the town slipped quietly into oblivion.
Residencial Beira Rio, 00351 286 611 190, Café Guadiana, Largo Vasco da Gama, Mértola 00351 286 612 186.
Mértola, par Almodôvar ou par la N 122, la route rapide venant du sud, voici déjà les grandes plaines à blé ondoyantes. Impossible de passer par ici sans goûter au pain, fameux, qui accompagne tout naturellement un excellent fromage de brebis: tout au long du Guadiana, on peut voir ces moulins à eau servant, l'été, à moudre la farine, tâche confiée, l'hiver venu, aux moulins à vent....Et puis, tout à coup, une fantaisie de terrain inattendue, un spectacle saisissant: sur un éperon rocheux, découpé par le rio Guadiana d'un côté, et par son affluent, le rio Oeiras, de l'autre, apparaît Mértola.
ReplyDeleteUne véritable ville-musée qui vous permettra de vous replonger d'un coup dans l'histoire, la tradition et la nature de cette région marquée par l'éternelle rivalité
des Maures et Chrétiens: dernier port intérieur du Guadiana.
Il fut un entrepôt commercial actif avant même de devenir un municipium important sous l'occupation Romaine, puis la capitale d'un véritable royaume musulman avant d'être le premier siège des Chevaliers de l'Ordre de Santiago.
Tourisme Mértola, 00351 286 610 109, Mairie
Mértola, 00351 286 610 100, Pompiers Mértola, 00351 286 610 010, Gendarmerie Mértola (GNR), 00351 286 612 127, Café Guadiana, Largo Vasco da Gama, centre ville, 00351 286 612 186. Bon Chemin.
Mértola, Roman Julia Myrtilis, founded in remote antiquity, became one of the four "municipia" of Lusitania. It was in Suevic hands until being occupied by the Moors from 712 until 1236.
ReplyDeleteSpectacularly sited above the Guadiana River (Roman Anas, and Arabic Wadi-Anas), it is dominated by its Castle, below which stands the battlemented Igreja Matriz, a converted mosque retaining its Mihrab.
A tombstone from Mértola dated AD 525 displayed the horseshoe "Moorish" arch, confirming that it was used on the Peninsula long before the invasion of 711.
Three small museums well display artefacts from the Roman, Paleo-Christian and Muslim periods.
Posto Turismo Mérola, 00351 286 610 109, Café Guadiana Mértola, 00351 286 612 186, Rest. Boa Viagem Mértola, Pilgrimsmenu 7€ with Credencial, 00351 286 612 483, Rest. Terra Utopica Mértola, 00351 286 612 397, GNR Mértola Posto, 00351 286 612 127, Hostel Casa da Tia Amalia Mértola, 00351 286 612 336, Residencial Beira-Rio Mértola, 00351 286 611 190. Iter Stellarum, A Grande Obra Dos Caminhos de Santiago. Bom Caminho.
Mértola wird zu Recht als Museumstadt bezeichnet. Denn kaum ein anderer Ort im Alentejo hat so ein interessantes und vielfältiges Kulturelles und geschichtliches Erbe zu bieten.
ReplyDeleteDer an den Ufern des Guadiana Fluß gelegene Landkreis Mértola, der an Spanien und die Algarve grenzt, zählt zu den größten Portugals.
Seine Ursprünge gehen zurück bis in die Zeit, als die Phönizier hier einen wichtigen Hafen- und Handelsplatz gründeten.
Er sollte Jahrhunderte später, als das Römische "Myrtilis", und unter Arabische Herrschaft und bis Ende des 12.Jahrhunderts eine wichtige Rolle auf den Handelsrouten des Mittelmeers spielen.
Von hier wurden Kupfer und Edelmetalle aus den schon zu Zeiten der Römer betriebenen Bergwerken von Sao Domingos, sowie Weizen und Olivenöl aus der fruchtbaren Umgebung von Beja verschifft.
Nach der Christlichen Wiedereroberung unter König Sancho II wurde Mértola 1238 erster Sitz des Ritterordens von Santiago.
Neben den unauslöschlichen Spuren der Phönizier, Römer, Westgoten und Araber trägt auch die großartige Landschaft mit dem Naturpark Vale do Guadiana, dem Wasserfall Pulo do Lobo oder dem ehemaligen Bergwerkskomplex und heutigen Industriedenkmal Minas de Sao Domingos wesentlich dazu bei, dass Mértola heute ein beliebtes und faszinierendes Reiseziel ist.
Fremdenverkehrsamt Mértola, Stempel(carimbo), 00351 286 610 109, Rest. Boa Viagem, Pilgermenu 7€ mit Credencial, 00351 286 612 483, Unterkunft für die Nacht, Bombeiros Mértola, 00351 286 610 010, Hospedaria Rita, 10% Rabatt mit Credencial, 00351 286 612 098.
Polizei - GNR Mértola, 00351 286 612 127.
Bom Caminho.