SESIMBRA
38° 26′ 37.4″ N; 9° 5′ 58.7″ W
The municipality of Sesimbra, with 195.47 km² in area and 49,500 inhabitants (2011), is subdivided into 3 parishes (Castelo; Quinta do Conde; Santiago). This municipality is limited to the north by the municipalities of Almada and Seixal, to the northeast by Barreiro, to the east by Setúbal, and to the south and west by a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean.
The mouth of the river Sado, the Serra da Arrábida, the Cape Espichel, the lagoon of Albufeira, and the beach of Meco are part of the natural landscape of Sesimbra.
Quinta do Conde, the main town of the parish of the same name also has the status of a village, and is even more populous than the seat of the municipality.
Due to its particular position at the Setúbal Bay, near the mouth of the Sado River and its natural harbor, it’s an important fishing town.
Besides professional fishing and sport fishing (mainly of swordfish), the most significant revenues in Sesimbra come from tourism. The town is known for its beaches and fish restaurants.
Close by, on a mountaintop, 240 m (787.40 ft) above sea level, lies strategically (the ruins of) the Moorish castle. It was taken from the Moors, during the Portuguese Reconquista in the year 1165 by king Afonso Henriques with the help of Frank Crusaders. The battlements afford a panorama over Sesimbra, its harbor, and the surrounding countryside. In addition to the castle, Sesimbra has two forts dating back to the 17th century; the Fortress of Saint James of Sesimbra in the center of town and the Fort of São Teodósio da Ponta do Cavalo.
During the Age of Discoveries, Sesimbra became an important seaport. Even king Manuel I lived here for a while. In the 17th century, the fort Fortaleza de Santiago was built along the beach, as part of Portugal's coastal defense. On 3 June 1602, an English fleet defeated a Spanish galley fleet and in addition captured a large Portuguese carrack and severely damaged the fort. It was even used in the 18th century by Portuguese kings as a seaside retreat.
A tourist traveling to Sesimbra can appreciate its beaches, traditional fish restaurants, and the Arrábida National Park.
Close to the Moorish castle is the church Nossa Senhora do Castelo. It stands on the spot where king Sancho I built a Romanesque chapel in the early 13th century, leading to the creation in 1388 of the parish of Nossa Senhora do Castelo de Sesimbra. The present church was built in 1721. When a new church was built in the village, this church passed into disuse and fell into ruins. It was restored between 1965 and 2001. The walls of the church are inlaid with azulejos. The 17th century-pulpit was made from local pink marble. The gilded triumphal arch of the 18th century-choir is decorated with Manueline motives. On the left side of the choir stands in a niche the gilded and polychromed statue of the Madonna of the Castle on a giant shell.
Sesimbra serves as the landing point for the submarine communications cables, such as SAT-3/WASC and Atlantis-2.
MOTHER CHURCH
SESIMBRA CASTLE
The Castelo de Sesimbra (Sesimbra Castle), also known as Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors), is a castle located in the town of Sesimbra, in the Setúbal District of Portugal.The medieval castle stands in a dominant position on a cliff, over a cove which constitutes a natural harbor in the Setúbal peninsula between the estuaries of the Tagus river and the Sado river, a few miles from Cape Espichel. It was built on a site occupied in prehistoric times. In the 9th century, it was a Muslim settlement during the period of the Muslim occupation of Iberia when it was known as Alcáçova. In 1165 it was conquered by D. Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal. In 1191 it was occupied by the Almohads, Moroccan Berbers, who almost entirely destroyed it in the process. The final reconquest took place in 1199, under King Sancho I, with the help of the Frankish Crusaders.
Given its strategic importance, numerous enlargements to the castle were carried out immediately after the reconquest and throughout the Middle Ages. In 1323 a second reinforcement of the walls was made and the West Tower was built, this being needed as a lookout to identify Barbary pirates. In 1384 the castle served as a refuge for John of Avis and his troops during the war with Castile (1383-85).
From the fifteenth century, the population gradually began to move down from the hills to settle by the bay and pursue fishing and boatbuilding activities. By 1516 there were already signs of abandonment. The ramparts were reinforced in 1693 and other improvements made and, in 1721, the Church of Santa Maria do Castelo, which was built by Afonso I, was restored. However, the castle was already in a bad condition when it was effectively ruined by the earthquake of 1755.
