Santarem on the Tagus (3)

Religious Spaces

There is not a lot of information about locals of worship in Santarém prior to its conquest. The remains of a Roman temple have been surveyed in today's Jardim das Portas dos Sol, the church of S. João Evangelista seem to have been built over a previous Visigothic temple, and scholars believe that the city's mosque was located in the place where now stands the church of Marvila.

Figure 30. Santarém: churches (after Angela Beirante, 1980).

Figure 31. Map of Santarém indicating the location of the city convents.

Santarém churches reconstruction — Figure 32. Santarém: churches (after Angela Beirante, 1980).

Figure 33. Ruins of a Roman Temple in the alcáçova of Santarém.

Church of São João Evangelista — Figure 34. Image of the church of São João Evangelista in the 20th century, before its reconstruction.

Igreja de São João Evangelista – This church dates to the late 12th century and has suffered considerable changes through time. It was probably built on the site of an older, 9th or 10th century Christian church built during the Islamic occupation by the Christian community, probably on the place of a Visigothic temple. In 1147 king Afonso I gave this church to the Knights Templar for their help in the conquest of the city.

Figure 35. Church of Santa Maria da Alcáçova in an early 20th century postcard.

Igreja de Santa Maria da Alcáçova – Its construction started seven years after the city's conquest, in 1154 under the rule of the Knights Templar, charged with the defense of the city. It was likely built over an existing mosque, which may have been built in the place of a Visigothic temple.

Figure 36. Door of the church of Marvila in an early 20th century postcard.

Igreja de Marvila – Possibly built over or near the village mosque soon after the conquest, in the 12th century. It was donated to the Knights Templar in 1159 and completely remodeled in the mid-13th century.

Figure 37. Igreja de São João do Alporão (Portugal in 150 seconds).

Figure 38. Church of Nossa Senhora do Monte.

Figure 39. Church of Santa Cruz, Ribeira de Santarém.

Remains of the old church of Santa Iria — Figure 40. Possibly the remains of the old church of Santa Iria.

Figure 41. Church of Santa Iria a Nova, rebuilt in 1688.

Figure 42. Church of Santo Estêvão, or Milagre (from an internet video titled 'Portugal in 150 secs').

Figure 43. Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Graça (early 20th century postcard).

Figure 44. Tentative reconstruction of the area of Porta das Figueiras by Cardoso, 1979.

Igreja de São Nicolau — Figure 45. Igreja de S. Nicolau.

Figure 47. Door of the church of São Lázaro, now in Quinta da Saúde, Santarém.

Figure 48. Church of Nossa Senhora da Piedade in an early 20th century postcard.

Figure 49. View of the Sé from an online video named Portugal in 150 seconds.

Figure 50. Ermida de Nossa Senhora das Neves, Ribeira de Santarém (old postcard?).

Convents

Santarém was the most important center of a very rich agricultural center and its fertile soil maintained a number of religious orders.

Figure 51. Early 20th century image of the Convento da Trindade (scalabis.net).

Figure 52. Church of the convent of S. Francisco in the 1930s (Photo from a postcard on the internet).

The Fluvial Landscape

In September 2010 a team of firemen was rescuing some lost equipment and found submerged wooden structures with ceramic materials associated (CNS 37370) near the S. Luis I bridge (STR001). These structures were not surveyed by archaeologists until 2020.

Developed near the River and depending on it for transport, irrigation, and the annual floods that fertilized of the soils from which its wealth depended, Santarém was a fluvial landscape above all.

Figure 53. Boat with lateen sail and side rudder from the view of Santarém by António de Holanda (c. 1530).

The River Tagus meanders through its alluvial plain and is constrained by the hill upon which Santarém was built. The city had expanded down hill at least by Roman times, and remains of medieval walls remind us that part of the port area was protected from possible enemy attacks.

Historical documents suggest that Santarém had an intense fluvial traffic, encompassing routes to and from Lisbon, and upstream from Santarém, possibly up to Almourol. The ships from Santarém are referred by father Manuel Fernandes' Liuro da fabrica das naus (c.1580):

"Os barcos de Santarém levantam agora mais as cabeças, e mudam os nomes de cervilhas em muletas: isto de quatro dias para cá: pois vede a mudança, que será feita de cento, ou duzentos ou mais anos a esta parte: e como são já esquecidos os nomes, e mudadas as formas dos navios daquele tempo, e mais atrás."

Figure 54. From the view of Santarém by António de Holanda (c.1530).

The early 16th century view by António da Holanda shows a busy river harbor with small, road boats, and middle sized watercraft with lateral rudders and lateen sails. Some of the crew members are maneuvering the boats near the shore with punts.

Detail from view of Santarém by António de Holanda — Figure 55. From the view of Santarém by António de Holanda (c.1530).

An interesting detail in this view suggests that a boat is being pulled upstream with a rope, which seems to be uncommonly tied to the top of its mast.

Submerged Sites

We have identified 30 sites of archaeological interest along the Tagus in front of Santarém and downstream, to Muge.

Figure 56. Santarem 02. Ceramic materials from Extratopuro dredging (2024).

Figure 57. Santarem 05. Abandoned barge (2024).

Figure 58. Santarem 08. Abandoned wooden hull (2024).

Another abandoned wooden hull — Figure 59. Santarem 09. Abandoned wooden hull (2024).

Figure 60. Santarem 10. Ceramic found by Mr. Albertino Crespo, who gave a lot of these to the Municipality of Santarem (Flavio Biscaia, 2024).

Figure 61. Porto de Muge 05. Artifacts found by the dredge (2024).

Gun raised by a detectorist — Figure 62. Porto de Muge 07. Artifacts found by the dredge (2024).

"Cais de Santarém" in Lisbon

In 2016 and 2017, the construction of a subterranean car park, in the area of the old Cais de Santarém, brought to light eight boats dating to the mid 19th century. These boats attest an old sailing tradition between Lisbon and Santarém, which is not very well studied yet.

Figure 63. Plan showing the old Cais de Santarém.

The waterfronts, both in Lisbon and Santarém have changed almost continuously since the Middle Ages, and there are – to our knowledge – no studies of the infrastructures built to load and unload the boats that connected these two cities.

References

Arruda, A. M. (2018). Ceramic unguentaria from Scallabis (Santarém, Portugal). Rei Cretariae Romanae Favtorvm Acta 8.
Arruda, A. M. & Sousa, E. (2015). Late Bronze Age in Alcáçova de Santarém (Portugal). Trabajos de Prehistoria 72.1: 176-187.
Arruda, A. M. (2005). "O 1º milenio a.n.e. no Centro e no Sul de Portugal: leituras possíveis no início de um novo século". O Arqueólogo Português 4.23:9-156.
Arruda, A. M. (1999-2000). Los Fenicios en Portugal. Fenicios y mundo indígena en el centro y sur de Portugal (siglos VIII-VI a.e.) Cadernos de Arqueología Mediterránea: 56. Barcelona.
Beirante, Maria Ângela, 1980. Santarém Medieval. Lisboa: Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
Beirante, Maria Ângela, 1981. Santarém Quinhentista. Lisboa: Livraria Portugal.
Brandão, Zeferino, 1883. Monumentos e lendas de Santarém. Lisboa.
Cardoso, Mário de Sousa, 1979. As Muralhas de Santarém e a sua evolução. Santarém.
Custódio, Jorge (coord.), 1996. Santarém Cidade do Mundo, vol. I e II, Santarém, Câmara Municipal de Santarém.
Martins, A. M., and Coelho, J. (2014). Relatório dos trabalhos de verificação de achado e recuperação de peças em cerâmica do Tejo, na proximidade de Santarém. CNANS Report.
Matias, António (2018). Santarém, carta arqueológica municipal. Santarém: Município de Santarém.
Matoso, Luis Montes (2011). Santarém Ilustrada. 2. Ed. Santarém: Junta de Freguesia de Marvila.
Ortigão, Ramalho, 1903 (1896). O Culto da Arte em Portugal. Lisboa: Aillaud e Bertrand.
Santos, Isabel Claudino, 2018. Arquivo Histórico da Câmara Municipal de Santarém. Dissertação de Mestrado, Fac. de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa.
Vasconcelos, Pe. Inácio de Vasconcelos, 1790. História de Santarém Edificada. Lisboa.
Viegas, Catarina (2003). A terra sigillata da Alcáçova de Santarém. Trabalhos de Arqueologia 26: 320. Lisboa: Instituto Português de Arqueologia.

Internet

This Series

Part 1: Introduction, The Project, The City
Part 2: Defensive Spaces, Bridges, Water Systems
Part 3: Religious Spaces, The Fluvial Landscape, Submerged Sites