history
Pontével is a town in the municipality of Cartaxo, in the Ribatejo region, and the seat of a civil parish covering 27.84 km² with 4,360 inhabitants (2021 census). In addition to the town itself, the parish includes Casais da Amendoeira, Casais Penedos, Vale da Zebra, Casais Lagartos, Casais Luízes, Casais das Areias, Casais d'Alcaria, Rosmaninho, Oira, Capeludos and Vale de Choupos. Pontével was granted town status in 1991 and its patron is Nossa Senhora da Purificação (Our Lady of the Purification).<p>The settlement predates the founding of Portugal: it appears in royal documents as far back as the reign of Afonso Henriques, and received its first royal charter from King Sancho I in 1194, later confirmed by Afonso II. During the Reconquista, the lands were granted to the Franks of Vila Verde and to the Order of the Hospital, and the Comenda de Pontével, which included Ereira and Lapa, once rivalled that of Santarém in importance.<p>From its past there remain the so-called Ponte Romana ou Medieval (Roman or Medieval Bridge), a rudimentary and very ancient structure, and the Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Purificação (Parish Church), rebuilt in the 17th century on the foundations of a temple probably dating from the 12th century. Inside, visitors will find a baptismal font, panels by the Mestre da Romeira, azulejo tiles, gilded woodwork and the tombs of 17th-century commanders, including that of António Botto Pimentel. Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Capela de Nossa Senhora do Desterro (formerly the Ermida do Espírito Santo) was rebuilt and the Rio da Fonte was restored, complete with its fountain and bridge. In the 1930s, a shell-shaped fountain known locally as A Saramaga was built at the entrance to the town, followed shortly afterwards by the bandstand in the former Largo dos Três Fidalgos, now known as Largo Mariano de Carvalho.<p>The main annual celebrations are the Festa dos Fazendeiros, held on the Sunday after Easter in odd-numbered years, the Artével, a crafts and fine arts fair held in mid-June, and the Festa em honra de Nossa Senhora do Desterro, on the first weekend of September. Pontével is the birthplace of cyclist Marco Chagas, four-time winner of the Tour of Portugal.
