About the Region
The parish of Silgueiros covers a vast area of approximately 37 square kilometres, with fertile smallholdings, between the rivers Dão and Pavia. Situated in the extreme south of the municipality of Viseu, from where it is 12 km away, its boundaries are also the municipalities of Tondela, Carregal do Sal and Nelas. It is made up of ten and a half villages and other small population centres where, according to estimates, almost 5,000 people live, 3,250 of whom are voters. The sixteen villages that make up the region are: Bela Vista • Casal Jusão • Casal Meão • Falorca • Lajes • Loureiro de Cima • Loureiro de Baixo • Mosteiro • Passos • Pedra Cavaleira • Pindelo • Pinoca • Porrinheiro • Póvoa Dão • Póvoa de Porrinheiro • Silvares.
Its privileged geographical location provides a rich horticultural agriculture and the excellent quality of its wine, one of the best in the Dão Demarcated Region. The Cooperative Winery, which brings together more than a thousand members, and the various farms, present products of the highest quality on the national and international markets.
Source: Website http://www.freguesiadesilgueiros.pt/
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
We are located in the heart of Dão-Lafões, a fertile and stunning plateau between the Serra da Estrela and Serra do Caramulo mountains, with the rivers Dão, Pavia and Asnes running through the middle, as they run through the granite massif.
It is magical to be able to enjoy the sunrise and sunset over the mountains every day and admire the stunning vineyards. In winter, the blanket of snow that covers the surrounding mountains – Estrela and Caramulo – is breathtakingly beautiful.
Source: Website http://www.freguesiadesilgueiros.pt/
VILLAGE OF SILGUEIROS
When you travel through this region, you will notice the grandeur of the town of Silgueiros. A historic town that preserves stories of conquests and ancient traditions, and that dazzles with its landscapes, rivers and mountains, its built heritage and the friendliness of its people. Of note is the Ethnographic Museum, with over twenty thousand documents, which safeguards important aspects of the region's traditional culture, and also the Typical Village of Póvoa Dão, representative of the oldest settlements, which is crossed by a Roman road, still in good condition.
Source: Website http://www.freguesiadesilgueiros.pt/
TOURISM AND LEISURE
Inspired by nature and shaped by man, Silgueiros is a very ancient land that has been reinventing itself for over nine centuries in terms of its landscape, knowledge and genuine traditions. Our lands produce the best fruits for the most varied tables, among which wine plays a special role. Silgueiros has three main treasures: firstly, its fruits, which its fertile land offers and which come to life thanks to the hard work and knowledge of generations of Silgueiros residents; then, the landscape that shines and changes throughout the seasons and whose vineyards look like carpets; and the friendship and hospitality of our people, who are always smiling!
EMPHASIS
Silgueiros is a town with a unique landscape, like a colourful embroidery, where each of its sixteen villages has different colours that blend into a colourful and typical Beira landscape. Every nook and cranny is worth a careful and long visit, to be repeated whenever you need to fill your soul and seek peace. And so, we suggest you visit the Monastery church, the ancestral and founding place of our parish, which currently displays an 18th century façade, a far cry from the small and humble temple founded there during the Middle Ages. Then you can enjoy the air and the views, walk along the centuries-old trails, some of which are Roman, to the Dão River, and find the picturesque village of Póvoa Dão. You should visit our famous Ethnographic Museum and learn about our traditions. And because Silgueiros is a land of good food, plentiful and tasty, we recommend that you visit Mesa de Lemos, in Passos de Silgueiros, the restaurant O Martelo, in Falorca, and Sepa do Dão, in Loureiro de Silgueiros, to recharge your batteries and recharge your batteries. We invite everyone to come and discover Silgueiros during the festive season, come and socialize and enjoy the festivities at our Market and discover the vineyards and the harvest.
Source: Website http://www.freguesiadesilgueiros.pt/
THE HERITAGE OF SILGUEIROS
THE LANDS AND PEOPLE THAT MAKE UP THE CURRENT PARISH OF SILGUEIROS ARE VERY ANCIENT
HERITAGE
The lands and people that make up the current parish of Silgueiros are very ancient. All over the place, we come across evidence of an ancient settlement, whose origins are yet to be discovered. The oldest traces of human presence found in these lands are prehistoric. A fertile land, Silgueiros became, over the centuries, a place of great agricultural importance and its fruits became a priority, among other things, reaching the tables of the people of Viseu and even going down to the holds of Portuguese caravels. Of the traces left by the Moors, the most important are the Lagaretas and the Anthropomorphic Tombs (Campas dos Mouros). There are still traces of the Roman presence in Silgueiros. Inside the village of Póvoa Dão, there is still a section of a Roman road in good condition. This road started in Viseu, passed through Teivas, Rebordinho and Oliveira de Barreiros, then passed through Silgueiros and, finally, continued through Sangemil on the way to Tábua. It dates back to the year 1127, and is perhaps the oldest known parchment on which men wrote the name of Silgueiros, then in the form of Sirgueiros. It is a diploma that records an inquiry ordered by Queen D. Teresa, mother of Afonso Henriques, and by Count D. Fernando Peres de Trava. Daganel and D. Sancha Gonçalves founded the parish in 1186, establishing the patronage of Santa Maria de Silgueiros. In the Middle Ages, the parish was divided between the municipalities of Oliveira de Barreiros and Ranhados, and it is also known that it had four royal cavalries: one in Silvares, another in Lajes and two in Passos. A cavalry was “a knight villain, to whom the king granted lands and privileges so that he would be obliged to have a horse and to present himself in war, when summoned, duly mounted and armed”. The aforementioned municipalities were extinguished by decree on 6 November 1836, with Silgueiros passing to the municipality of Viseu. The parish of the parish has always been of great importance, becoming a renowned parish after the great reforms of Liberalism. The parish was headed by the Presidents of the Parish Council, a position that is now held by the Presidents of the Parish Council. On 20 June 1997, Silgueiros was elevated to the category of town.
Text Based on research by Prof. António Lopes Pires and Prof. João Ferreira da FonsecaSource: Website http://www.freguesiadesilgueiros.pt/
