Alenquer: Queens and Humanists Built Its Bed

In western Ribatejo, Alenquer is a village perched on hilltops, and barefoot in Ribeira de Alenquer, a tributary of the Tagus River. Haughty, regal, and humanist, Alenquer is wrapped in a cradle of lush vegetation, its elegant houses on the hillside a tribute to its distinguished past.

View from R. Pêro de Alenquer

Church and Convent São Francisco, Alenquer

Alenquer stands fiercely since the Iron Age, not without resilience.After the passage of the Romans and later the Moors (8th–12th centuries), it was granted a fortified settlement. The town was then taken by Christian forces in the 12th century under Afonso Henriques—Portugal’s first king—and consequently, Alenquer was often given as a dowry or estate to Portuguese queens.

In the 15th century, it was the birthplace of Damião de Góis, one of Portugal’s greatest Renaissance humanists and chroniclers. Queens, thinkers, and artists have built the town’s peaceful heritage, with museums in their names, and festas celebrating springtime between bullfighting and Christian faith, “solidarity” woven into the town’s psyche.

R. Pêro de Alenquer, located between the City Hall and the Castle

Alenquer: Solidarity and Resilience

During the “Great Floods of 1967” that swamped Metropolitan Lisbon from Cascais to Alenquer in mud, the water escaped the bed of the river and reached a height of three meters, destroying houses and bridges. It swept Alenquer and 14 other municipalities with thick mud and debris, sparking an “astonishing moment” of solidarity among the people of Alenquer.

Safe Communities Portugal records that it had rained more in Portugal between 1965 and 1966 than in the previous eighty years. The year 1967 started very dry until that very night of November 25–26 when—from 7 p.m. to midnight—a fifth of the rainfall recorded for the entire year poured over the region in just five hours.

The floods caused an estimated 700 deaths. More than half the population of the village called Quintas near Vila Franca de Xira was decimated. The intense rainfall and subsequent rise of the river also exposed the lack of social and urban planning and revealed the harsh realities of poverty and inadequate housing conditions in Portugal at the time.

The impact of this catastrophe crossed borders and sparked international solidarity. Britain, Italy, Monaco, France, Switzerland, and Spain sent donations and typhoid vaccines. Over a thousand students from the Catholic Youth Organization—who knew the region well—stepped in to help. But Salazar’s government responded differently. The Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR)—the paramilitary security force—was deployed to chase the students and better hide the facts.

In Alenquer, A Mayor’s Moral Compass

Except in Alenquer, the artist and mayor, D. José de Siqueira, did just the opposite. He pledged solidarity and brought the inhabitants together into communal action with high spirits as a sustainable response to the devastation.

The probability of such a climate event might occur only once every hundred years according to the Portuguese Maritime Weather Forecast, IPMA. But the chosen moral compass by the municipality of Alenquer is still felt today. Solidarity and generosity are the human warmth behind the preparation of the Festas do Espírito Santo and today’s groomed Alenquer.

Decorations for the Festas do Espírito Santo

Alenquer: Sheer Elegance of Heart

On this peaceful day in June, Alenquer idles in the sun.The town is just around 35 kilometers from Lisbon. No direct train or bus line but a direct highway (A1). Alenquer’s elegance of heart and charmingly out-of-time fashion is an enclave of peace in the busy Ribatejo, where trucks and cars rush to their destinations.And the nature of its communal life is a reminder that community building is an everyday craft and commitment. Add to it the region’s fertile ground for red grapes, olives, fruits, and flowers to spice all senses, and you’ll fall under the spell of its languor.

Climate, Altitude, and the River as a Spine

Alenquer has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. It enjoys a total of 2,763.9 annual hours of sunshine. The town also has altitude: the highest point in the municipality is the mountain Serra de Montejunto (666 meters).The Rio Tejo or Tagus River shapes Ribatejo as a natural spine. If Alentejo comes from além (beyond the Tejo), Ribatejo comes from riba, loosely translated as “upper-Tagus.”

The Tagus River is the longest river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises in the Sierra de Albarracín in mid-eastern Spain and flows 1,007 km (626 mi), generally westward, to unite with the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon.

In Ribatejo, cities and towns are either left bank or right bank: Alenquer, Vila Franca de Xira, and Santarém are located to the left of the river; Almeirim and Salvaterra de Magos lie on its right bank.

Ribatejo: Royal Land of Plenty

Neolithic settlers were drawn toward its fertile plains. In the medieval era, the region became a popular haunt for kings and courtiers, bathed in nature and culture. Consequently, the monarchy brought wealth to the region, building its churches, convents, and shrines.

Royals could retreat from the royal court and indulge in the pleasures of falconry at Almeirim and Salvaterra de Magos. Intrigue blended with rural lifestyle, and the region’s agricultural wealth served memorable feasts.

Renowned navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral, who discovered Brazil, settled in Santarém and is buried there. The great religious orders also helped shape the region with their magnificent churches and convents, creating what is today its praised and protected architectural patrimony.

Alenquer, Terra do Espírito Santo

Alenquer, The Land of the Holy Spirit, is an ode to Christian anthology. The town’s spiritual and cultural tapestry—from the first Franciscan convent to the living tradition of Festas do Espírito Santo—narrates Alenquer’s enduring Christian identity.

Silence and Regenerative Space

Rest in churches. Feel the time shift from staccato to adagio. Listen to people’s whispers during Pentecostal mass, where women salute God with a sober inclination of the head, and men stretch into a semiflexion. For anyone who has taken a grandmother or grandfather to a sacred place, no matter the faith, the enveloping silence of such worship temples will feel familiar. And churches in the heat of June are regenerative spaces, with no entrance fees for what so many commodify as collective sessions of meditation. Here, Christian faith is entrenched in social life and even serves as its meetup. A few milestones:

First Franciscan Convent*

Founded in the early 13th century, soon after Saint Francis of Assisi’s movement reached the Iberian Peninsula, the convent fostered spiritual life, charity, and simplicity at the heart of the town. *The Franciscan brotherhood, known as the "Friars Minor," played a significant role in the region by offering a blend of religious and social service. The brothers were active in preaching, charitable works, and even land management, impacting the lives and landscapes of the communities they served.

Queens and Humanists: Donations

The convent was founded by Infanta D. Sancha, daughter of King D. Sancho I, on the site of her royal palace. The church was built within the convent in 1280 by D. Beatriz. The convent's architecture, with its Manueline portal of the chapter house, was designated a national monument in 1910. Damião de Góis, a chronicler from Alenquer, donated a sundial made of Genoese marble to the convent in 1557—still visible in the cloister.

Convent benches could inspire a Portuguese contemporary collection of exemplary functional minimal design

First Elaborate Nativity Scene Tradition holds that Alenquer was the site of Portugal’s first elaborate Nativity scene (Presépio). This artistic devotion to the birth of Christ remains alive today, with the town known as the "Vila Presépio" (Nativity Town).

When São Francisco de Assis came to Alenquer, he brought with him the concept of the Nativity scene. It was first enacted with real people until it became an art and craft, reinterpreted in various fashions across centuries. A rare instance in the country, the Museu do Presépio (Nativity Scene Museum) has celebrated the prevalence of this art form in Alenquer since 2021.

On the right: Presépio com Flores (Nativity Scene with Flowers) by Fernando Jorge Ribeiro (2020–2021)

The Feasts of the Empire of the Divine Holy Spirit were instituted in Alenquer by Queen Santa Isabel and her husband, King Dinis, in 1321. This year, the Holy Spirit Festivals were celebrated with deep communal meaning between April and June 2025.A tradition rooted in medieval Christianity, these Festas mix religious devotion, rural brotherhoods (irmandades), free shared meals, flower garlands, white doves on facades, and a night procession with candles (Festa da Luz). White roses carry a meaning of their own.

The Miracle of the Roses (Milagre das Rosas)

King D. Dinis and Queen Dona Isabel had disagreements stemming from conflicts between the king and his heir. It culminated in the exile of the Holy Queen to Alenquer, accused by her husband of defending their son. According to their 1281 marriage contract, she received Óbidos, Abrantes, Porto de Mós, and twelve castles as her dowry. Then she was sent into exile in Alenquer.

According to legend, one winter day, Isabel left the palace with bread hidden in her lap to distribute to the poor. When questioned by King D. Dinis about what she was carrying, she replied that they were roses. When she opened her cloak, the bread miraculously transformed into flowers. This became her most defining miracle, demonstrating her devotion to the poor while maintaining peace with her husband, who disapproved of her charitable acts. The Miracle of the Roses led to her beatification in 1516 and canonization in 1625.

Portuguese humanist philosopher Damião de Góis portrayed by Albert Dürer.

Located near the castle, Alenquer's Jewish quarter—historically significant in the town center—was established during the Middle Ages and remained a vibrant community until the 16th century. The local economy benefited from the skills of tailors, shoemakers, and other craftsmen. The Jewish community of Alenquer, numbering between 60 and 90 people, contributed one of the highest tax rates in Portugal. According to João P. Ferro, author of Alenquer Medieval, they collectively paid more taxes than the municipalities of Santarém, Leiria, Lamego, Porto, Tomar, Setúbal, and Coimbra—surpassed only by Lisbon, Beja, Guarda, and Moncorvo.

Damião de Góis (1502–1574) was born and died in Alenquer. Considered Portugal’s most important humanist, he was a guest of Erasmus of Rotterdam and traveled across Europe in the service of the Portuguese king. He was later appointed chief guardian of the royal archives at Torre do Tombo.

During the Inquisition, Alenquer became a site of persecution and forced conversion of its Jewish population. At the end of his life, Damião de Góis was imprisoned by the Inquisition—not because he was Jewish, but for his beliefs and writings. Accused of following Lutheran ideas, he was only released when his health had irreversibly deteriorated. Source: Paths of Faith – Damião de Góis Museum

The Church of Santa Maria da Várzea now hosts the Damião de Góis Museum, a place of remembrance and tribute to the victims of the Inquisition.

The Jewish cemetery was once located close to the Church of Santa Maria da Várzea. Later, the site became home to the Royal Paper Factory

Flowers, Bread, and Wine

Part of the Lisboa Wine Region (formerly Estremadura), Alenquer is especially known for its DOC red wines. The best way to learn about the region is by speaking with locals at museums, shops, and markets. In Alenquer, Carla at the Native Scene Museum is a valuable source of regional knowledge, and Liliana at the Museu do Vinho (Wine Museum) offers deep expertise in local wine. Her favorite red is Barca do Inferno—available exclusively from its local producer. The Museu do Vinho showcases and sells the region’s finest wines and represents over 20 regional producers from the Lisbon Wine Route Association.The museum is housed in a 19th-century building filled with historical artifacts and instruments illustrating the evolution of winemaking techniques. Its auditorium hosts tastings and competitions.

Sustainability & Easy Access Shaped by cultural influences, resilient to climate, and rooted in solidarity, Alenquer is writing a new chapter. A growing number of Lisbon commuters choose Alenquer for its greener, quieter lifestyle and direct access to the A1 Highway. Lisbon is just 45 minutes by car. That's like crossing London from east to west on the tube. The Atlantic coast is even closer —40 km (25 miles) away.

Arrive in Alenquer with a peaceful mind and bathe in its scenic surroundings. Today, around 40,000 people live in the municipality. Become one of them. If you settle on its hilltop, sip coffee or a wine at Chapéu Alto in front of the Municipal Palace. Once local, speculate about the name Alenquer:

Does it come from the Arabic "blessed spring" (العَيْنُ الكِير - al-ʕaynu l-kīr)? From a governor's name (الحَاكِم - al-ḥākim)? Is it of Germanic origin, referring to the castle of the Alans? Or does it come from Alão, the legendary dog of local folklore? To live in Alenquer is to dwell in the benevolent light of a thinker. Guided by Erasmus and befriended by him, Damião de Góis embodied the ripple of knowledge through learning, writing, and friendship. To walk in the footsteps of this diplomat, composer, art collector, advocate of religious tolerance, and careful student of history—silenced in darker times—is to inherit a legacy more vital today than ever.

Original content by dandyvagabonds.com Mojo Real Estate Solutions is a boutique real estate agency based in Estrela, Lisbon, specializing in helping international clients find their dream property in Portugal. From charming city apartments to coastal and rural retreats, our expert team hand-picks properties that match your ideal location, lifestyle, and budget.

At Mojo, we offer a full-service experience—from property scouting and acquisition to renovation management and rental setup. Whether you're seeking a new home, a holiday escape, or a high-yield investment property, we handle the entire process with precision and local insight. With Mojo, you gain a trusted partner on the ground—dedicated to turning your vision into reality in Portugal.

Portugal: +351.210.509.154 | USA: +1.800.470.3407 | Follow us on instagram. More blogs.