Belmonti ( port. Belmonte ; [ bɛɫ'mõt (ɨ) ]) is a urban-type settlement in Portugal , the center of the same-name municipality in the Castelo Branco district. The population is 3.2 thousand inhabitants (settlement), 7.7 thousand inhabitants (municipality). The settlement and the municipality are included in the economic and statistical region of the Central region and the subregion of Cova da Beira . According to the old administrative division was part of the province of Beira-Litoral .
| Municipality | |||||
| Belmonti | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| port. Belmonte | |||||
| |||||
| A country |  Portugal | ||||
| Historical area | Beira-Litoral | ||||
| District | Castelo Branco | ||||
| Municipality | Belmonti | ||||
| Internal division | 5 districts | ||||
| Mayor | Amandiou Melo | ||||
| History and geography | |||||
| Municipality with | 1199 | ||||
| Square | 114.56 km² | ||||
| Center height | |||||
| Timezone | UTC0 , in the summer UTC +1 | ||||
| Population | |||||
| Population | 7722 people ( 2006 ) | ||||
| Density | 66 p / km² | ||||
| Digital identifiers | |||||
| Postcode | |||||
| cm-belmonte.pt (port.) | |||||
The patron saint of the village is Jacob Zebedee ( port. São Tiago ). Holiday village - April 26 .
Content
Location
The village is located 62 km north of adm. center of the city of Castelo Branco .
The municipality borders:
- in the north - the municipality of Guarda
- in the east - the municipality of Sabugal
- in the southeast - municipality of Fundane
- in the west - the municipality of Covilhã
Population
| The population of the municipality of Belmonti (1801–2004) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1801 | 1849 | 1900 | 1930 | 1960 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2004 |
| 2946 | 3969 | 6573 | 8190 | 9109 | 6765 | 7411 | 7592 | 7662 |
History
The settlement was founded in 1199 on the orders of the Portuguese king Sancho I. Since the 15th century, Belmonti played a significant role in the history of the Great Geographical Discoveries and Navigation. In particular, Pedro Alvares Cabral , the discoverer of Brazil, was born here - the first traveler in history to visit four continents (America, Europe, Asia and Africa).
In Belmonti, many Portuguese navigators, astronomers and geographers lived and worked - Peru da Covilhã , the first Portuguese to visit the Indian city of Calicut ; astronomer and physician ; the astronomer and geographer Rui Faleiro , who participated in the preparation of the expedition of F. Magellan and others.
After the publication of the Alhambra Edict of 1492, many thousands of Jews fled from Spain to Portugal who had settled in Serra da Estrela in northern Portugal. From this environment of Portuguese Sephardic Jews in the 15th and 16th centuries , many well-known astronomers, cartographers and mathematicians emerged who served the successes of the Portuguese navigation during that period. The arrival of Jewish immigrants also served the development of crafts and trade in the north of the country. In 1497, they were forced to accept Christianity in Portugal, but many secretly observed Jewish rites and traditions. The Jews and their descendants who settled in Belmonti represent one of the last communities of crypto Jews on the Iberian Peninsula. In December 1996, a synagogue was built in this town, built at the expense of wealthy Moroccan and American Jews.
Attractions
- Belmonte Castle
- ruins of ancient roman tower centum celae
- Belmont Monastery (now the Pusada Hotel)
- Jewish Museum Belmonte
- New synagogue "Beth Eliyahu"
- Romano-Gothic Chapel de Santiago
Areas
The municipality includes the following areas:
- Belmonti
- Karya
- Colmeal da torre
- Ingiash
- Masainas
Photo Gallery
See also
- Castelo Branco District
- Municipalities of Castelo Branco County
- Areas of Castelo Branco