Monsanto village in Portugal: photo, description, history

Monsanto is a small village in Portugal. It is located three hundred kilometers from Lisbon. Probably, each of us at least once came across unsurpassed pictures of this village with its extraordinary buildings. Surely, they saw the fortress built by the Templars or looked at the grandiose boulders.

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Story

The village occupies a rather picturesque place on the slope of a mountain almost eight hundred meters high, and the name of this, to be precise, granite rock is translated as “Holy Mountain”. The village was founded in the distant twelfth century.

The locals decided that the boulders were of historical value and during the construction they built up the free space between them, in a word, the people used the stones as walls, roofs, foundations and, in fact, as the main building material. And one cannot but agree with this, because the stone is nothing more than granite.

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All this makes us imagine an excerpt from some film about ancient people, about the formation of man, about his development and go into deep philosophical thoughts. But this is not what our article is about. As a result, from under the firm but creative hand of man, the world saw unique buildings in which the gracefulness of nature and the exquisite creativity of human hands are intertwined. Even the locals themselves say that it is impossible to make out where the stone ends and the hut begins.

Due to the lack of active archaeological excavations, a huge number of questions remain unanswered. But archaeologists are not embarrassed by this fact and they confidently assert that the Romans, as well as the Lusitans and Arabs, lived in this village. In turn, this is confirmed by the objects of everyday life of primitive man found in the area. Archaeologists were invited, who did not conduct deep excavations and came to the conclusion that people have lived in these parts since the Paleolithic.

In addition, it was the first king of Portugal who conquered the settlement from the Moors. And then the Templars appear in history, to whom the king presented this village as a gift. It was they who built the fortress mentioned above on the top of the hill, they later rebuilt it, erecting a defensive wall around it.

Just imagine that this fortress has withstood more than one era, more than one leadership, generational change, bad weather and even climate change. But unfortunately in the nineteenth century it was destroyed as a result of the explosion of a gunpowder warehouse, on Christmas Day, but unfortunately the reason remained unknown.

All this betrays the village a certain mystery, walking along the narrow streets you imagine yourself as one of the children‘s company, who, with wooden sticks in their hands, imagine themselves to be the knights of the round table and win in a seemingly hopeless battle.

The most Portuguese village in Portugal

By the way, Monsanto is also called the “Most Portuguese village of Portugal”, and this is no accident, as the symbol of this title is none other than a silver rooster. He, according to the locals, controls all the entrances and approaches to the territory, which is guarded from the tower, which can be seen at the entrance to the village.

Although some Portuguese argue that Monsanta is completely different from most local villages. Others argue that this is the only settlement of its kind that repulsed many attacks of the French conquerors, and did not break from long sieges and remained in Portugal.

No matter how radically the opinions of local residents differ, they are all undoubtedly proud of their village and are trying in every possible way to tell tourists fascinating historical details.

Vibrant colors and stunning scenery

We will not delve into history and pay attention to the beauty of nature, the brightness of the colors with which she paints her stunning landscapes. Anyone who has visited at least once in Monsant will never forget this beauty. From the very beginning, looking at the locals, you understand that they prefer a measured and calm rhythm of life. They frankly admire the landscapes that open their eyes every day and no matter how much they live there every day, new notes of sophistication and incomparability of mother nature appear in this beauty.

Walking along the small streets, you get the feeling that you are walking along the fabulous path of the city where the giants live and you are always afraid that at this very moment the huge head of an unknown fairy-tale monster will appear from behind another rock. When meeting local residents, one would like to ask how long they have been living here, hoping to hear the unique, slightly fabulous and mysterious story of their generation, which was initiated by valiant warriors.

The legend of the village of Monsant

I would also like to tell one fascinating legend that describes the cunning and ingenuity of the people who lived there long before us. So, it was some year after the seven-year siege of the fortress, the inhabitants ate everything that was from the provisions, only one cow and a sack of grain remained.

The besieged sighed heavily, realizing that the end was very close and the remaining cow would not delay this moment much. But then, to the surprise of everyone, a certain woman suddenly proposed a completely risky plan, namely, she offered to feed the cow to the full with the remaining grain and give it to her opponents. It would seem why? But the woman was unusually wise and the plan worked.

“How?” – you ask. It would seem very simple, having fed the four-legged animal, they threw the cow on the heads of the enemies. able to feed an animal for slaughter, then there is not the slightest sense to continue this battle and the troops retreated, leaving the village undefeated.

Although no one has ever been interested in the name of that woman, every child knows this story and probably imagines that she is a representative of their ancient family.

Summing up all that has been said, if you are a person who infinitely appreciates the individuality of nature, the beauty and silence of being, this place is ideal for relaxation. You will get an unforgettable feeling of fabulousness and magic, plunging into childhood dreams, hidden deep in the mind. Travel, because it will give you many unforgettable emotions!