Mortágua
Municipality in Centro, Portugal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mortágua (European Portuguese: [muɾˈtaɣwɐ] or [mɔɾˈtaɣwɐ] ⓘ) is a municipality in the district of Viseu, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 9,607,[1] in an area of 251.18 square kilometres (96.98 sq mi).[2]
Mortágua | |
|---|---|
View of Mortágua valley | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Interactive map of Mortágua | |
| Coordinates: 40°26′N 8°14′W | |
| Country |  Portugal |
| Region | Centro |
| Intermunic. comm. | Região de Coimbra |
| District | Viseu |
| Parishes | 7 |
| Government | |
| • President | Ricardo Pardal ([[Socialist Party (Portugal)]) |
| Area | |
• Total | 251.18 km2 (96.98 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 9,607 |
| • Density | 38.25/km2 (99.06/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+00:00 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+01:00 (WEST) |
| Local holiday | Holy Thursday |
| Website | www |
The present mayor is Ricardo Sérgio Pardal, elected in 2021 by the Socialist Party.
History
Legend suggests that that village was formed on a lake; settlers recalled that Água Morta (dead water) existed here, but no physiological evidence remains of the body of water.[3] Over time, the name stayed and evolved, becoming the variant today of the local municipality.
About 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the main village is a hill, covered in vegetation, but whose lateral flank was occupied by a Moorish settlement known as Crasto.[3] Over a cliff archeologists discovered several homes including a building that was defined as a kitchen, on its edge.[3]
By 1895, several chapels were situated on this hilltop, which had become known as Cabeça da Senhora do Mundo (owing to the existence of an image to that invocation).[3]
Geography
Administratively, the municipality is divided into 7 civil parishes (freguesias):[4]
- Cercosa
- Espinho
- Marmeleira
- Mortágua, Vale de Remígio, Cortegaça e Almaça
- Pala
- Sobral
- Trezói
Notable people
- Vasco Martins de Sousa (1320s-1387) Lord of Mortágua
- Fernanda de Paiva Tomás (1928–1984) a member of the Portuguese Communist Party, a political prisoner from 1961 to 1970, under the authoritarian Estado Novo regime.
Sport
- Francisco Neto (born 1981) a football manager, currently the head coach of the Portugal women's national football team
- Filipe Sarmento (born 1985 in Mortágua) a Portuguese footballer with over 220 club caps
