Description of the city

The city of Beja is located in the south of Portugal, in the Alentejo region. With easy access, provided by the main roads and highways, Beja is located 180 kilometers south of Lisbon, 100 kilometers of the Atlantic coast and 150 kilometers from Algarve.

Beja has a population of near 35.000 inhabitants and the main economic activities are related the rural sectors (agriculture) and of services.

City History

Julius Cesar ordered the construction of the city in I b.c. and throughout the centuries it was known as Pax Julia, Paca,  Baju and finally Beja.. It is still surrounded by remains of old Roman walls, which however, were partly restored during the Middle Ages. Beja was taken from the Moors in 1162 by Affonso Henriques.  The best example of medieval architecture still extant in Portugal is the castle built in Beja by King Dom Diniz. It is a square, massive structure 120 feet high, from the top of which the whole of the Alemtejo country and the Cintra mountains may be seen. The walls of the castle are covered with hieroglyphics.

It stands on the summit of a high hill surrounded by beautiful and fertile valleys under cultivation, as the district is rich in agricultural products, mainly cereals, olive oil, and wine.

 

 

 

How to reach the city

If you travel by plane, you can choose the airport of Lisbon or Faro. From this cities it is easy to take a direct train or bus to Beja.

Beja was in its early days an episcopal city, but at the time of the invasion by the Moors lost its dignity. The Cathedral of Beja is an old temple, though so much modernized as to make it impossible to determine with any degree of certainty its original date. Other famous churches are those of Our Lady of the Conception, St. Iago, or Santiago, and Santa Maria de la Feira, said to have been an old Moorish mosque. The College of St. Sissenando, which belonged to the Jesuits, and was built principally at the expense of Donna Maria Sophia, in 1695, stands in the street where the saint was born. Part of this building is now occupied by the episcopal palace.