The way in which the Crown's decisions have shaped the Algarve over the centuries will be the focus of the exhibition «The Identity of the Algarve: charters, charters and royal charters», which will be on display at the Convento de São José, in Lagoa, in January 16th to February 26th.
The exhibition will present the evolution of the region's royal administration and the consequent formation of the councils that make up the district of Faro.
Despite focusing on documents issued by different Kings of Portugal, the exhibition tells a story that begins in the 1914th century, with the conquest of the region from the Moors, and that only ends in the XNUMXth century, in the republican period. São Brás de Alportel, for example, only became a municipality in XNUMX (previously it was the parish of Faro), already after the establishment of the Portuguese Republic.
"The reproduction of the original copies of the documentation that gave rise to the creation of the current 16 councils, reveals a facet of the history of this region, with the social, economic and political interests that prevailed in the administrative geographic delimitation over time", framed the Câmara de Lagoa, which promotes the exhibition in partnership with the Algarve Archives Network.
The organizers of the exhibition recall that the Algarve, since it was conquered by Christians in the second half of the XNUMXth century, "has been traditionally recognized as a distinct region from the rest of the national territory". Something that is easily verified by the documents, given the fact that “even in the beginning of the XNUMXth century, postage stamps for this region were at the cost of those abroad and not those for other regions of the country”.
The exhibition that begins on Saturday, as its name indicates, is based on three types of government documents.
Charters were royal documents used in Portugal to establish a council and regulate its administration, duties and privileges. They were granted between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, and were instrumental in ensuring the conditions for the settlement and prosperity of the community, as well as in the increase of its cultivated area, by granting greater freedoms and privileges to its inhabitants.
The Permits were royal edicts, which can be interpreted and characterized as royal licenses or royal decrees. At various periods in Portugal's history, kings or regents made use of Alvarás to govern.
Royal Charter is the name given to the official document signed by a monarch that went directly to an authority, usually containing general and permanent determinations.
Make known what were the political strategies for the administrative organization of this region, as well as “when, how and why the councils that currently constitute the district of Faro» are some of the objectives of the exhibition «The Identity of the Algarve: charters, permits and royal letters».
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