Santarém

Santarém: Church of the Convento da Graça

Santarém, city and concelho (municipality), central Portugal. It lies along the Tagus (Tejo) River, 47 miles (76 km) northeast of Lisbon.

The city originated as Scalabis (renamed Praesidium Julium by Julius Caesar) in Roman times. It served as an important fortress city in the course of the wars between the Moors and the Christians until it was finally taken by the Christians in 1147. The Portas do Sol are the ruins of the Alcáçova castle, which was a royal residence in the European Middle Ages; other landmarks are a former Jesuit seminary (1676), the late Gothic Church of Santo Agostinho da Graça (with the tomb of Pedro Álvares Cabral, discoverer of Brazil), and the early Gothic Church of São João de Alporão (now housing the municipal museum of sculpture). Each May, the Ribatejo agricultural fair is held in Santarém, attracting thousands of visitors. Industries include food processing, and tourism is of growing economic importance. Kaolin deposits, found near Santarém, are used to make china and pottery. Pop. (2001) city, 28,760; mun., 63,563; (2011 est.) city, 28,100; (2011) 62,200.