Golegã

Golegã
Municipality

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Coat of arms
Coordinates: 39°24′N 8°29′W / 39.400°N 8.483°W / 39.400; -8.483Coordinates: 39°24′N 8°29′W / 39.400°N 8.483°W / 39.400; -8.483
Country  Portugal
Region Ribatejo
Subregion Lezíria do Tejo
Intermunic. comm. Lezíria do Tejo
District Santarém
Parishes 3
Government
 • President Rui Manuel Lince Singeis Medinas Duarte (PS)
Area
 • Total 84.32 km2 (32.56 sq mi)
Population (2011[1])
 • Total 5,913
 • Density 70/km2 (180/sq mi)
Time zone WET/WEST (UTC+0/+1)
Website http://www.cm-golega.pt

Golegã (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɡɔlɨˈɣ̞ɐ̃]) is a small municipality in Santarém District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 5,913,[1][2] in an area of 84.32 km².[1][3]

The present Mayor is Rui Manuel Lince Singeis Medinas Duarte, elected by the Socialist Party. The municipal holiday is Ascension Day.

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 3 civil parishes (freguesias):[4]

Population

Population of Golegã municipality
1801 1849 1900 1930 1960 1981 1991 2001 2011
2452 2866 5694 6325 6150 5963 6072 5710 5913[1]

Historical sights

The main historical sight of Golegã is its main church Igreja Matriz da Golegã, built in the early 16th century in Manueline (Portuguese late Gothic) style. The remarkable main portal and the ribbed vaulting inside the main chapel are its most important artistic features.

Main Church of Golegã and its Manueline portal.

Near Golegã village is located the Quinta da Cardiga, a manor house with its origin in a 12th-century donation to the Knights Templar. Originally the site of a castle, the property was remodelled in the 16th century into a Renaissance rural palace.

Personalities

The winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize for Literature, José Saramago, was born in the parish of Azinhaga in 1922.
The distinguished goalkeeper Manuel Bento, having 63 caps in the national team to his credit, including games at the UEFA Euro 1984 and 1986 FIFA World Cup final tournaments, was born in the Golegã village in 1948.

Horse capital

Golegã is considered the capital of the horse (Capital do Cavalo), and it has been the site for the gathering of breeders since at least the 18th century. Two fairs take place every November in Golegã: The Feira Nacional do Cavalo (National Horse Fair) and the Feira Internacional do Cavalo Lusitano, dedicated to the Lusitano horse.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 including the parish Pombalinho, that changed from the municipality of Santarém to Golegã in 2013
  2. ↑ Instituto Nacional de Estatística
  3. ↑ Direção-Geral do Território
  4. ↑ Diário da República. "Law nr. 11-A/2013, page 552 53" (pdf) (in Portuguese). Retrieved 23 July 2014.
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