Ourém

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Ourém [[Image:{{{image_flag}}}|140px|Flag of Ourém]] Municipal flag Municipal coat of arms
Location
- Country	Portugal
- Region	{{{Region}}}
- Subregion	{{{Subregion}}}
- District or A.R.	Santarém
Mayor	David Catarino
- Party	PSD
Area	416.6 km²
Population
- Total	49,269
- Density	118/km²
No. of parishes	18
Coordinates	39º39'N 8º34'W
Municipal holiday	June 20
Website: http://www.cm-ourem.pt

Ourém (pron. IPA: [o(ou)'ɾɐ̃ĩ]) is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 416.6 km² and a total population of 49,269 inhabitants.

The municipality is composed of 18 parishes, and is located in the district of Santarém. The municipality is bordered by the municipalities of Pombal (to the north), Alvaiázere (to the northeast), Ferreira do Zêzere e Tomar(to the east), Torres Novas (to the southeast), Alcanena (to the southwest), and Batalha and Leiria (to the west).

The present Mayor is David Pereira Catarino, elected by the Social Democratic Party.

The municipal holiday is June 20.

Contents 1 History 2 Legend 3 Parishes 4 External links

[edit] History

The town and the castle were founded in 1180 by D. Teresa, a daughter of the first king of Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques.

In this document if it relates that the population if called in Latin Auren. Its historical nucleus is developed around the Castle of Ourém, that had in the time of D. Afonso, 4.º Conde de Ourém a period of great development. In the document of donation of the ecclesiastic in 1183 for D. Teresa, one affirms that the place where was constructed the castle called Abdegas previously, "Aprouve me to make will of the ecclesiastic of Ourém, that before called Abdegas". However, in the charter one of Leiria of 1142 the name of Ourém (Portus de Auren) already was cited, as territorial limit of the term of Leiria. In 1159 in the donation of the Wax Castle, and in the 1167 in a document of the Bishop of Lisbon D. Afonso Enriques on one it disputes territorial with the Templários, comes back to appear Portus de Auren. The Portus word meant a passage of a river or ribeiro. The comparison of documents leads to conclude that the "Port of Ourém" if pointed out between the Sabacheira and Seiça.

The town's historical nucleus developed around the Castelo de Ourém (Castle of Ourém). During the reign of D. Afonso, 4th Count of Ourém, the town flourished. The ecclesiastic charter signed in 1183 by D. Teresa affirmed that the place where the castle was built had previously been known as Abdegas: "Aprouve-me fazer testamento do eclesiástico de Ourém, que antes se chamava Abdegas" (I approve the making of the ecclesiastical testement of Ourém, previously known as Abdegas". However, in the 1142 charter of Leira, the name Ourém (Portus de Auren) had already been cited, as the territorial limit of Leiria. In 1159 in the charter for Castelo de Ceras, and in 1167 in a document of the Bishop of Lisbon, D. Afonso Enriques, in relation to a territorial dispute with the Templars, the name Portus de Auren appeared again. The word "Portus" had the meaning passage of a river or ribeiro. A comparison of the documents leads to the conclusion that the "Port of Ourém" was situated between the Sabacheira and Seiça.

Until its elevation to the status of a city on 16 August 1991, Ourém was known as Vila Nova de Ourém.

[edit] Legend

The legend of Oureana was told by Bernardine Frei of Brito in the "Chronical of the Order of Cister" (Book VI, CAP I).

In a surprise attack on the Day of São João de 1158, a Christian knight, Gonçalo Hermigues, with some friends, kidnapped a Moorish princess called Fatima. The Christian knight took Fatima to a small village in the center of the recent kingdom of Portugal, Serra de Aire (for which the princess would later be named). Later the princess fell in love with the Christian knight and decided to become herself a Christian and took the name Oureana. They got married and the princess received as prize the town which she called Ourém, after her name.

[edit] Parishes

• Alburitel
• Atouguia
• Casal dos Bernardos
• Caxarias
• Cercal
• Espite
• Fátima
• Formigais
• Freixianda
• Gondemaria
• Matas
• Nossa Senhora da Piedade
• Nossa Senhora das Misericórdias
• Olival
• Ribeira do Fárrio
• Rio de Couros
• Seiça
• Urqueira

[edit] External links

• Municipality official website
• O Castelo, blog about Ourém