View source for Elvas

{{other uses}}
{{expand Portuguese|topic=geo|otherarticle=Elvas|date=October 2012}}
{{Infobox Portuguese subdivision
| type             = municipality
| official_name    = City of Elvas
| image_flag       = Pt-elv1.png
| image_shield     = ELV.png
| image_skyline    = {{Photomontage
| photo1a          = 31202-Elvas (48749062731).jpg
| photo1b          = 31200-Elvas (48749242607).jpg
| photo2a          = Elvas September 2013-38 (cropped).jpg
| photo2b          = Elvas September 2013-19 (cropped).jpg
| photo2c          = 31187-Elvas (48617501742).jpg
| photo3a          = ElvasSquare (cropped).jpg
| photo3b          = 31136-Elvas (48955503963).jpg
| spacing          = 2
| position         = center
| color_border     = white
| color            = white
| size             = 250
| foot_montage     = 
}}
| coordinates      = {{coord|38|52|N|7|09|W|type:adm1st_region:PT_dim:100000|display=inline,title}}
| image_map        = LocalElvas.svg
| region           = [[Alentejo]]
| CIM              = [[Alto Alentejo (intermunicipal community)|Alto Alentejo]]
| district         = [[Portalegre District|Portalegre]]
| parishes         = [[#Parishes|7]]
| leader_party     = [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| leader_name      = [[Rondão Almeida]]
| area_total_km2   = 631.29
| population_total = 23,078
| population_as_of = 2011
| holiday          = January 14
| website          = http://www.cm-elvas.pt
}}{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site|image=Elvas e muralhas.jpg|image_upright=1.2|caption=Walls and fortifications of Elvas|Official_name=Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications|location=Elvas, [[Portalegre District]], [[Alentejo]], [[Portugal]]|includes=|criteria={{UNESCO WHS type|(iv)}}(iv)|ID=1367bis|coordinates={{coord|38|52|50.23|N|7|9|47.96|W|display=inline|format=dms}}|year=2012|extension=2013|area={{convert|179.356|ha|acre|abbr=on}}|buffer_zone={{convert|690|ha|acre|abbr=on}}|locmapin=Portugal|map_caption=}}
'''Elvas''' ({{IPA|pt|ˈɛlvɐʃ|-|Pt-pt Elvas FF.ogg}}), officially the '''City of Elvas''' ({{langx|pt|Cidade de Elvas}}), is a Portuguese municipality, former episcopal city and frontier fortress of easternmost central Portugal, located in the district of [[Portalegre (district)|Portalegre]] in [[Alentejo]]. It is situated about {{convert|200|km}} east of [[Lisbon]], and about {{convert|8|km}} west of the Spanish fortress of [[Badajoz]], by the [[Madrid]]-[[Badajoz]]-[[Lisbon]] railway. The municipality population {{as of|2011|lc=y}} was 23,078,<ref>[http://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xlang=en&xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_indicadores&indOcorrCod=0005889&contexto=pi&selTab=tab0 Instituto Nacional de Estatística]</ref> in an area of {{convert|631.29|km2}}.<ref name="dgt">{{Cite web |url=http://www.dgterritorio.pt/cartografia_e_geodesia/cartografia/carta_administrativa_oficial_de_portugal_caop_/caop__download_/carta_administrativa_oficial_de_portugal___versao_2017__em_vigor_/ |title=Áreas das freguesias, concelhos, distritos e país |access-date=2018-11-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105172426/http://www.dgterritorio.pt/cartografia_e_geodesia/cartografia/carta_administrativa_oficial_de_portugal_caop_/caop__download_/carta_administrativa_oficial_de_portugal___versao_2017__em_vigor_/ |archive-date=2018-11-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The city itself had a population of 16,640 {{as of|2011|lc=y}}.<ref>[http://dev.igeo.pt/atlas/Cap2/Cap2d_2.html UMA POPULAÇÃO QUE SE URBANIZA, Uma avaliação recente – Cidades, 2004] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006143612/http://dev.igeo.pt/atlas/Cap2/Cap2d_2.html |date=October 6, 2014 }} Nuno Pires Soares, Instituto Geográfico Português (Geographic Institute of Portugal)</ref>

Elvas is among the finest examples of intensive usage of the ''trace italienne'' ([[star fort]]) in military architecture, and has been a [[World Heritage Site]] since 30{{nbsp}}June 2012. The inscribed site name is '''Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications'''.

== History ==
Elvas lies on a hill {{convert|8|km}} northwest of the [[Guadiana]] river. The [[Amoreira Aqueduct]], {{convert|6|km}} long, supplies the city with clean water; it was begun early in the 15th century and completed in 1622. For some distance it includes four tiers of superimposed arches, with a total height of {{convert|40|m}}.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=300}}

The city was wrested from the Moors by [[Afonso I of Portugal]] in 1166 but was temporarily recaptured before its final occupation by the Portuguese in 1226. In 1570 it became an [[episcopal see]], the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Elvas]], until 1818. The late [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] [[Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral, Elvas|Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral]], which has many traces of [[Moorish]] influence in its architecture, dates from the reign of [[Manuel I of Portugal]] (1495–1521).{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=300}}

It was defended by seven bastions and the two forts of Santa Luzia and the [[Nossa Senhora da Graça Fort]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=300}} From 1642 it was the chief frontier fortress south of the [[Tagus]], which withstood sieges by the Spanish in 1659, 1711, and 1801.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=301}} Elvas was the site of the [[Battle of the Lines of Elvas]] in 1659, during which the garrison and citizens of the city assisted in the rout of a Spanish Army.{{Citation needed|date=September 2019}} The Napoleonic French under [[Jean-Andoche Junot|Marshal Junot]] took it in March 1808 during the [[Peninsular War]], but evacuated it in August after the conclusion of the [[Convention of Sintra]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=301}} The fortress of [[Campo Maior, Portugal|Campo Maior]] {{convert|15|km}} to the northeast is known for its [[Peninsular War|Napoleonic era]] siege by the French and relief by the British under [[William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford|Marshal Beresford]] in 1811, an exploit commemorated in a ballad by Sir [[Walter Scott]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=300}}

== UNESCO site ==
The Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications were added to the list of [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1367/|title=Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications}}</ref>

The site, extensively fortified from the 17th to 19th centuries, represents the largest bulwarked dry ditch system in the world. Within its walls, the town contains [[barracks]] and other military buildings as well as [[Church (building)|churches]] and [[Monastery|monasteries]]. While Elvas contains remains dating back to the 10th century, its fortification began during the [[Portuguese Restoration War]]. The fortifications played a major role in the [[Battle of the Lines of Elvas]] in 1659. The fortifications were designed by [[Dutch people|Dutch]] [[Jesuit]] Padre João Piscásio Cosmander and represent the best surviving example of the Dutch school of fortifications anywhere. The site consists the following:

# [[Amoreira Aqueduct]], built to withstand long sieges.
# [[Historic Centre of Elvas|Historic Centre]]
# [[Fort Santa Luzia|Fort of Santa Luzia]] and the covered way
# [[Nossa Senhora da Graça Fort]]
# [[Fortlet of São Mamede]]
# {{ill|Fortlet of São Pedro|commons|Category:Fortim de São Pedro}}
# [[Fortlet of São Domingos]]

==Climate==
Elvas has a [[mediterranean climate|hot summer mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: ''Csa'') with mild winters, although occasionally temperatures may drop below {{cvt|0|C|F}} and very hot, dry summers, where temperatures occasionally exceed {{cvt|40|C|F}}. Elvas climate is quite similar to that of [[Badajoz]], being slightly cooler and more humid due to its higher altitude and greater influence from the [[Atlantic Ocean]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ipma.pt/pt/oclima/normais.clima/1991-2020/#535|title=Climate normals 1991-2020|publisher=Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera|access-date=24 May 2025}}</ref> Precipitation varies from {{cvt|500 to 600 |mm|in}} throughout the year, with an average of about {{cvt|534|mm}}  annually. It is one of the hottest cities in [[Portugal]] during the summer, with an average maximum temperature close to {{cvt|35|C}}.
{{Weather box
| location = Elvas, (1991-2020 normals), extremes (1981-present)
| single line = Yes
| metric first = Yes
| width = auto
| Jan record high C = 22.6
| Feb record high C = 24.1
| Mar record high C = 30.8
| Apr record high C = 35.3
| May record high C = 39.4
| Jun record high C = 43.2
| Jul record high C = 45.8
| Aug record high C = 45.1
| Sep record high C = 43.5
| Oct record high C = 36.1
| Nov record high C = 29.2
| Dec record high C = 22.0
| year record high C = 
| Jan high C = 13.9
| Feb high C = 15.9
| Mar high C = 19.2
| Apr high C = 21.6
| May high C = 26.0
| Jun high C = 31.2
| Jul high C = 34.8
| Aug high C = 34.6
| Sep high C = 30.1
| Oct high C = 24.2
| Nov high C = 17.9
| Dec high C = 14.5
| year high C = 
| Jan mean C = 9.0
| Feb mean C = 10.3
| Mar mean C = 13.2
| Apr mean C = 15.2
| May mean C = 18.9
| Jun mean C = 23.1
| Jul mean C = 25.8
| Aug mean C = 25.9
| Sep mean C = 22.7
| Oct mean C = 18.2
| Nov mean C = 12.9
| Dec mean C = 9.9
| year mean C = 
| Jan low C = 4.1
| Feb low C = 4.7
| Mar low C = 7.1
| Apr low C = 8.8
| May low C = 11.8
| Jun low C = 15.0
| Jul low C = 16.8
| Aug low C = 17.1
| Sep low C = 15.2
| Oct low C = 12.3
| Nov low C = 8.0
| Dec low C = 5.3
| year low C = 
| Jan record low C = -7.0
| Feb record low C = -5.0
| Mar record low C = -2.0
| Apr record low C = -1.5
| May record low C = 1.5
| Jun record low C = 6.0
| Jul record low C = 9.7
| Aug record low C = 8.0
| Sep record low C = 4.0
| Oct record low C = -1.0
| Nov record low C = -4.5
| Dec record low C = -5.5
| year record low C = 
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 56.7
| Feb precipitation mm = 48.9
| Mar precipitation mm = 54.2
| Apr precipitation mm = 53.4
| May precipitation mm = 41.6
| Jun precipitation mm = 16.8
| Jul precipitation mm = 1.9
| Aug precipitation mm = 5.3
| Sep precipitation mm = 24.6
| Oct precipitation mm = 76.7
| Nov precipitation mm = 81.0
| Dec precipitation mm = 73.3
| year precipitation mm = 
| unit precipitation days = 1 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 7.4
| Feb precipitation days = 6.3
| Mar precipitation days = 7.0
| Apr precipitation days = 7.3
| May precipitation days = 5.5
| Jun precipitation days = 1.9
| Jul precipitation days = 0.5
| Aug precipitation days = 0.9
| Sep precipitation days = 3.2
| Oct precipitation days = 7.2
| Nov precipitation days = 7.9
| Dec precipitation days = 7.6
| year precipitation days = 
| Jan sun = 154.3
| Feb sun = 161.8
| Mar sun = 212.1
| Apr sun = 224.6
| May sun = 275.4
| Jun sun = 316.2
| Jul sun = 366.6
| Aug sun = 339.2
| Sep sun = 252.2
| Oct sun = 198.6
| Nov sun = 164.8
| Dec sun = 129.4
| year sun = 
| source = [[Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera|Instituto de Meteorologia]] (Sunshine 1971-2000)<ref name="IPMA">{{cite web |url=https://www.ipma.pt/bin/file.data/climate-normal/cn_91-20_ELVAS.pdf |title=Monthly Averages for Elvas (1991–2020)|publisher=[[IPMA]]}}</ref>
}}

{{Weather box
|location = Vila Fernando, 1971-2000 normals and extremes, elevation: {{convert|360|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|single line = Yes
|metric first = Yes
|width = auto
|collapsed = Yes

|Jan record high C = 20.0
|Feb record high C = 22.6
|Mar record high C = 27.5
|Apr record high C = 31.0
|May record high C = 34.5
|Jun record high C = 42.0
|Jul record high C = 42.5
|Aug record high C = 40.6
|Sep record high C = 41.2
|Oct record high C = 33.6
|Nov record high C = 26.5
|Dec record high C = 22.5
|year record high C =

|Jan high C = 12.2
|Feb high C = 13.8
|Mar high C = 16.7
|Apr high C = 18.3
|May high C = 22.3
|Jun high C = 27.8
|Jul high C = 32.0
|Aug high C = 31.8
|Sep high C = 28.1
|Oct high C = 21.7
|Nov high C = 16.3
|Dec high C = 13.1
|year high C =

|Jan mean C = 8.4
|Feb mean C = 9.7
|Mar mean C = 11.7
|Apr mean C = 13.0
|May mean C = 16.2
|Jun mean C = 20.6
|Jul mean C = 23.9
|Aug mean C = 23.6
|Sep mean C = 21.4
|Oct mean C = 16.6
|Nov mean C = 12.2
|Dec mean C = 9.6
|year mean C =

|Jan low C = 4.7
|Feb low C = 5.6
|Mar low C = 6.7
|Apr low C = 7.7
|May low C = 10.1
|Jun low C = 13.3
|Jul low C = 15.7
|Aug low C = 15.5
|Sep low C = 14.6
|Oct low C = 11.5
|Nov low C = 8.1
|Dec low C = 6.0
|year low C =

|Jan record low C = -5.0
|Feb record low C = -5.0
|Mar record low C = -1.0
|Apr record low C = -1.0
|May record low C = 2.0
|Jun record low C = 6.0
|Jul record low C = 9.0
|Aug record low C = 8.0
|Sep record low C = 4.0
|Oct record low C = 1.5
|Nov record low C = -0.5
|Dec record low C = -3.0
|year record low C =

|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 64.3
|Feb rain mm = 54.6
|Mar rain mm = 41.7
|Apr rain mm = 54.0
|May rain mm = 39.2
|Jun rain mm = 23.2
|Jul rain mm = 7.6
|Aug rain mm = 4.5
|Sep rain mm = 23.8
|Oct rain mm = 58.6
|Nov rain mm = 72.9
|Dec rain mm = 88.2
|year rain mm =

|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 11.0
|Feb precipitation days = 9.2
|Mar precipitation days = 7.6
|Apr precipitation days = 9.1
|May precipitation days = 7.1
|Jun precipitation days = 4.0
|Jul precipitation days = 1.5
|Aug precipitation days = 1.0
|Sep precipitation days = 3.9
|Oct precipitation days = 8.2
|Nov precipitation days = 9.3
|Dec precipitation days = 10.1
|year precipitation days =

|source = [[Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera|Instituto de Meteorologia]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ipma.pt/bin/file.data/climate-normal/cn_71-00_VILA_FERNANDO.pdf |title=Monthly Averages for Vila Fernando (1971–2000)|publisher=[[IPMA]]}}</ref>
}}

== Civil parishes ==
Administratively, the municipality is divided in seven civil parishes (''[[freguesia (Portugal)|freguesias]]''):<ref>{{cite web|title=Law nr. 11-A/2013, page 552 44|url=http://dre.pt/pdf1sdip/2013/01/01901/0000200147.pdf |access-date=22 July 2014|author=Diário da República|language=pt|author-link=Diário da República }}</ref>
* Assunção, Ajuda, Salvador e Santo Ildefonso
* Barbacena e Vila Fernando
* Caia, São Pedro e Alcáçova
* Santa Eulália
* São Brás e São Lourenço
* São Vicente e Ventosa
* Terrugem e Vila Boim

== Notable people ==
[[File:Conde de Bonfim.png|thumb|140px|José Travassos Valdez, Conde de Bonfim, circa 1850]]
* [[Manuel Rodrigues Coelho]] (ca. 1555 – 1635) a Portuguese organist and composer.
* [[João de Fontes Pereira de Melo]] (1780–1856) a politician, a general and twice [[List of colonial governors of Cape Verde|colonial governor of Cape Verde]]
* [[José Travassos Valdez, 1st Count of Bonfim]] (1787–1862) a Portuguese soldier and statesman.
* [[Fortunato José Barreiros]] (1797–1885) a [[List of colonial governors of Cape Verde|colonial governor of Cape Verde]] and military architect.
* [[Adelaide Cabete]] (1867–1935) a Portuguese feminist and republican.
* [[Virgínia Quaresma]] (1882–1973) an early radical, feminist, lesbian journalist 
* [[Sofia Pomba Guerra]] (1906–1976) a feminist, opponent of the Estado Novo government in Portugal and an activist in the anti-colonial movements of Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau.
* [[José António Rondão Almeida]] (born 1945) a Portuguese politician & Mayor of Elvas
* [[Toni Vidigal]] (born 1975), [[Jorge Vidigal]] (born 1978) & [[André Vidigal]] (born 1998) Angolan football brothers
* [[Raquel Guerra]] (born 1985) a Portuguese singer and actress.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1807554/  Raquel Guerra, IMDb Database] retrieved 16 July 2021.</ref>
* [[Henrique Sereno]] (born 1985) a Portuguese former footballer with 236 club caps

== Sister cities ==
* {{flagicon|Spain}} [[Badajoz]], [[Extremadura]], Spain
* [[Olivenza|Olivença]], Disputed
* {{flagicon|Portugal}} [[Campo Maior, Portugal|Campo Maior]], [[Alentejo]], Portugal

== References ==
{{portal|Portugal}}
<references/>
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Elvas|volume=9|pages=300–301}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1367/ UNESCO, Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications]

{{Wikivoyage}}
{{Municipalities of Portalegre}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Portugal}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Elvas| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Portugal]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Portugal]]
[[Category:Populated places in Portalegre District]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Portalegre District]]