The presentation of the book “Portugal in Morocco: looking at a common heritage”, by Frederico Mendes Paula, a collaborator of the Câmara de Lagos, or a program of activities, with special guided tours of the monuments of Silves, are some of the commemorative initiatives of the National Day of Portuguese Historic Centers, which is marked on the 28th of March.
The celebrations will take place in Tomar, where this book by Frederico Mendes Paula will be presented. Lagos will also participate in the meeting of the Board and General Assembly of the Portuguese Association of Municipalities with a Historic Center. The day will end with the awarding of the “Memory and Identity” Award to the former President of the Republic Ramalho Eanes.
In Silves, where the initiatives are free of charge, those who visit the city's monuments from 10:00 am to 13:00 pm and from 14:00 pm to 16:00 pm can do so with a “special guide” for company.
At the Castle of Silves the host will be King D. Sancho I, at Igreja da Misericórdia will be Queen D. Leonor and at the Cathedral, visitors will be guided by Bishop D. Jerónimo Osório. Diogo de Silves, discoverer of the Azores, will do the honors of the house at the Municipal Archeology Museum. These hosts will also deliver a scroll to all visitors, with a short historical description of each property.
During the morning there will be a peddy paper “Discovering Details of Our History”.
«This initiative is in concert with the municipality's senior sports project, and is an invitation to all participants of this project to walk through the streets of the historic center and its monuments while, using their knowledge and some astuteness, respond to a a series of challenges that will put them to the test in various fields: observation, insight, knowledge of the city's history and physical dexterity», explains Câmara de Silves.
The morning activities will end with a harp and singing recital by Helena Madeira. «Seeking to follow an old repertoire, this harpist and interpreter will use the inspiring backdrop of the Sé staircase to sing melodies there that will take visitors to the city to an imaginary of other times», says the municipality of Silvense.
During the afternoon, children and young people will be invited to color and rewrite history based on pages of the story of Silves in comic strips. The initiative will take place at the Municipal Museum of Archeology of Silves, at 14:00.
At 16 pm, the most frequented streets of the historic center will show “The Museum outside of itself”.
Here, through the posting of images of the most relevant objects exhibited or in reserve at the Municipal Museum of Archeology of Silves, visitors will be invited to a visit to the Museum, which concentrates everyday objects of the people who inhabited the region of Silves since the Pre- History to the present.
The program for this day closes with the lecture “Around the Cross, called from Portugal”, by Manuel Ramos, at 18:00, at the Municipal Museum of Archeology.
«Given the importance of the Cross of Portugal and the fact that it has known, over time, different implantations, this art historian, specialist in the Gothic and Manueline periods, in addition to addressing this issue, will also talk about its characteristics stylistic and the various functional interpretations that the property has known», explains the Chamber of Silves.
In addition to the activities promoted on this day, this commemorative program also includes the opening of the exhibition “Water Supply Systems in Medieval Silves”, on March 31, at 10:00 am, in the temporary exhibition room of the Municipal Museum of Archeology.
The telephone number 282 444 854 or the email address [email protected] are the available contacts for the Historical Heritage sector of the City of Silves to provide additional information about the celebrations.
The National Day of Portuguese Historic Centers was created on March 28, 1993, and was immediately welcomed by the overwhelming majority of municipalities with a historic center.
The date chosen for the celebrations is linked to one of the figures of Portuguese culture: Alexandre Herculano. Born in the city of Lisbon, on March 28, 1810, the «historian and politician never ceased to raise his voice in favor of our historical-cultural legacy», considers the Câmara de Lagos.
By instituting the “National Day of Portuguese Historic Centers”, “the Government and the Portuguese Association of Municipalities with a Historic Center (APMCH) wanted to both honor the spirit and work of this important figure and create a new opportunity for the promotion of actions undertaken by the municipalities with regard to safeguarding their historic centres”, says the Council of Lagos.
«In this context, all over the country, every year, projects conceived, in progress or already implemented in this field are presented on this date, which interest, unite and mobilize all municipalities in the Association,» he concludes.
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