SÃO MIGUEL DE ACHA
40° 0' 55" N; 7° 19' 18" W
São Miguel de Acha is a Portuguese parish in the municipality of Idanha-a-Nova, with an area of 41.26 km² and 514 inhabitants (2021 census). Its population density is 12.5 inhabitants/km².
It was a town and county seat, a commendation of the Order of Christ, until the beginning of the 19th century. It was made up of a parish and had, in 1801, 744 inhabitants.
Its name is a mystery. According to legend, it was a remote inheritance from a Moorish princess.
The countless archaeological remains illustrate a long history, although little documented. The surrounding fields reveal to the visitor various testimonies, from the Roman presence to the tombs excavated in the rock, including an interesting set of decommissioned rural equipment, including an olive oil press, tile ovens and apiary walls.
The village itself holds a notable heritage, both materially and immaterially.
Trees dot the landscape, with a dense belt of cork oak forests, vegetable gardens, orchards and olive groves, to which are added the gardens of old wealthy houses, with different species, which give an exotic note to the whole.
In the dense and winding urban fabric, there are many reasons for interest: the old 18th century City Hall; the manors and mansions that, from the 17th century to the 20th century, present several stylistic references, including a small chalet that hides among the trees on the outskirts of the village, a late echo of 19th-century romanticism, rare in the region; popular architecture, which stands out for its rich stonework decoration, with door and window frames on neat facades, some in the Manueline style.
The domain of the sacred deserves a particular mention here, as much of the peculiar character of São Miguel is due to it. A good starting point is Senhora do Miradouro, whose chapel is representative of an architectural typology common in this village. Except for the now demolished Chapel of Santo António, all the chapels have or had a porch (Senhora do Miradouro, Santa Catarina, São Sebastião and São Pedro).
The Main Church is one of the most interesting attractions in the town. In the current configuration, 18th-century references predominate, visible especially on the facade and side doors. Inside, the baroque gilded main altar, which supposedly came from the church of the extinct convent of Santo António de Idanha-a-Nova, is more than enough reason for a visit.
This set of spaces is linked to a set of devotional practices, still very much alive today among the population. The biggest highlight is the Easter cycle and in these two manifestations in particular: the commendation of souls, sung by women dressed in black on the night of Fridays in Lent, and the rosary in the streets, sung aloud by men who walk through the village. Testimony to this attachment to local identity marks is the commitment that the community has put into maintaining them. São Miguel d'Acha has known how to assert itself based on its cultural matrix.
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