Ourém

Ourém is a municipality in the historic Portuguese province of Beira Litoral. The main historical attraction of the municipality is the mighty Castle of Ourém. Millions of faithful Catholics come to the parish of Fátima (which has its own separate article) every year to visit Cova da Iria, the site where three child shepherds are said to have had visions of Our Lady of Fátima in 1917. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima has become one of the largest religious tourism sites in the world.

Understand




The municipality of Ourém (oh-RUHNEE, /o.ˈɾɐ̃j/) has a population 45,932 (2011), with about 13,000 in the city of Ourém itself and another 13,000 in the city of Fátima.

History
A fortification has existed in the region of Ourém since at least the period of Muslim domination. The area was reconquered by Christians in 1136, and the town was donated in 1178 by the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, to his third daughter, Princess Theresa. According to popular myth, the name of the village is actually derived from a Moorish princess who converted to Christianity under the name of Oureana.

The town's historical nucleus developed around the Castle of Ourém, which during the Reconquista served as watchpost for the Castle of Leiria, an important nearby stronghold. Under Count Afonso (1402–1460), fourth Count of Ourém, the town flourished. To accommodate his court, Count Afonso remodelled the old-fashioned castle and built a palace inside it following the trends in 15th-century Italian military architecture.

After reaching its peak in the 15th century, the town entered a period of relative decline. The town and castle were greatly damaged by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and the Napoleonic invasions.

Get in
The municipality is served by the A1 motorway (Autoestrada do Norte).

See
The ruins of the palace and castle are the main historical and touristic attraction of the town nowadays. Count Afonso is buried in the crypt of the main church of Ourém in a magnificent Gothic tomb created by one of Portugal's main sculptors of the time, Diogo Pires-o-Velho.

Go next

 * Fátima &mdash; A worldwide famous city due to the phenomenon of the Marian apparitions. At least should be visited the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima (with the Chapel of the Apparitions and the Basilicas), the Way of the Cross stations (in Valinhos) and the small village of Aljustrel.
 * Nazaré &mdash; A lovely village that became an internationally surf spot and entered in the Guinness Book of Records by its gigantic sea waves.