Central Way

Messejana

The village of Fornalhas Velhas, located in the fertile fields of Vale de Santiago, between the rivers Sado and Campilhas, was, as the name suggests, the property of the Order of Santiago. Besides, it belongs to the Vale de Santiago, a town that owes its name to the fact that this stretch of territory, initially linked to Santiago do Cacém, was also owned by the Order of Santiago.

Vale de Santiago is a Portuguese parish in the municipality of Odemira, with an area of 59.24 km2 and about 551 inhabitants.

Being an old village, Vale de Santiago presents a beautiful route of narrow, whitewashed streets, keeping its traditional architecture intact.

A caminho de Fornalhas Velhas

The Igreja de Santa Catarina deserves a visit, as well as the fountain of Nossa Senhora da Luz. Another site of this commune worth mentioning is the hill of Columbais, where it is said that Christopher Columbus was born.

Monte da Comuna is also noteworthy, where a group of anarchists, led by António Gonçalves Correia, created the so-called “Comuna da Luz”, which led to the uprising of the rural workers of Vale de Santiago in the crisis of 1918. “Comuna da Luz” is also associated with the death of Sidónio Pais. The assassin of the then President-King was José Júlio da Costa, an agrarian from Garvão, who served as a mediator between the authorities and the rioters of Vale de Santiago.St Catherine is the patron saint of the parish, honored at the religious festival of November 25. The annual fair of Santiago de Chile is held on the last Saturday of August and on the first Sunday of September in Fornalhas Velhas.

Just like the village, the old castle illustrates the former uses of Ribeira de Campilhas valley, promoted by the Order of Santiago. In this place, a rudimentary military structure was erected, of which no traces remain. The toponym ensures the antiquity of the place, now transformed into an agricultural farm, and its relevance as a dominant point on that affluent of the Sado river.

Ribeira de Campilhas