Mortágua (Portuguese pronunciation: [muɾˈtaɣwɐ] or [mɔɾˈtaɣwɐ] ) is a municipality in the district of Viseu, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 9,607,[1] in an area of 251.18 km2.[2]
The present mayor is Ricardo Sérgio Pardal, elected in 2021 by the Socialist Party.
History
Legend suggests that that village was formed on a lake; settlers recalled that Água Morta (dead water) existed here, but no physiological evidence remains of the body of water.[3] Over time, the name stayed and evolved, becoming the variant today of the local municipality.
About 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the main village is a hill, covered in vegetation, but whose lateral flank was occupied by a Moorish settlement known as Crasto.[3] Over a cliff archeologists discovered several homes including a building that was defined as a kitchen, on its edge.[3]
By 1895, several chapels were situated on this hilltop, which had become known as Cabeça da Senhora do Mundo (owing to the existence of an image to that invocation).[3]
Geography
Administratively, the municipality is divided into 7 civil parishes (freguesias):[4]
- Cercosa
- Espinho
- Marmeleira
- Mortágua, Vale de Remígio, Cortegaça e Almaça
- Pala
- Sobral
- Trezói
Notable people
- Vasco Martins de Sousa (1320s-1387) Lord of Mortágua
- Fernanda de Paiva Tomás (1928–1984) a member of the Portuguese Communist Party, a political prisoner from 1961 to 1970, under the authoritarian Estado Novo regime.
Sport
- Francisco Neto (born 1981) a football manager, currently the head coach of the Portugal women's national football team
- Filipe Sarmento (born 1985 in Mortágua) a Portuguese footballer with over 220 club caps
References
Notes
- ^ Instituto Nacional de Estatística
- ^ "Áreas das freguesias, concelhos, distritos e país". Archived from the original on 2018-11-05. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
- ^ a b c d J.L. de V. (1895), p.10
- ^ Diário da República. "Law nr. 11-A/2013, page 552 78" (pdf) (in Portuguese). Retrieved 28 July 2014.
Sources
- J.L. de V., "Antiguidades de Mortágua", O Arqueólogo Português (PDF) (in Portuguese) (Série 1 ed.), Lisbon, Portugal: DGPC, p. 10
External links
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