Casével Explained

Casével
Settlement Type:Civil Parish
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Portugal
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Alentejo
Subdivision Type2:Subregion
Subdivision Name2:Baixo Alentejo
Subdivision Type3:District
Subdivision Name3:Beja
Subdivision Type4:Municipality
Subdivision Name4:Castro Verde
Parts Type:Localities
Parts Style:para
P1:Aivados
P2:Casével
P3:Estação de Ourique
Coordinates:37.7569°N -8.1825°W
Established Title:Settlement
Established Date:fl. 1500
Established Title1:Parish
Established Date1:20 September 1510
Established Title2:Civil Parish
Established Date2:24 October 1855
Area Total Km2:33.73
Elevation M:200
Population As Of:2011
Population Total:447
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:WET
Utc Offset1:0
Timezone1 Dst:WEST
Utc Offset1 Dst:+1
Postal Code Type:Postal Zone
Postal Code:7780–020
Area Code:(+351) 286 XX XX XX
Blank Name:Demonym
Blank Info:Caséveis
Blank1 Name:Patron Saint
Blank1 Info:São João Baptista
Footnotes:Geographic detail from CAOP (2010) produced by Instituto Geográfico Português (IGP)

Casével is a former civil parish in the municipality of Castro Verde, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Castro Verde e Casével.[1] It is located 10 kilometres north-west of the municipal seat. It was considered the civil parish with the smallest population (365 inhabitants in 2001) in the municipality, covering an area of approximately 33.3 km².

History

The town received its Charter by order of King Manuel I of Portugal on the 20 September 1510 and was the municipal seat until 1836, when it was incorporated into the municipality of Messejana (the seat of the former Knights of Santiago).

Casével's only church, to the invocation of São João Baptista dates back to the 14th century, and was repaired several times, including in 1533 and again in 1940-1950 after it had been abandoned. During the course of its restoration, layers of debris were removed to reveal a gold-leaf altar, with various saints of which little is known, and golden silver ornaments, including the Reliquary-Head of Saint Fabian and two monstrance, dating back to the 16th century. The Head, fabricated from the 13th century, is a unique item: it is a sculpture in silver, containing the human skull of Pope Fabian, a Christian martyr. Legend has it that this relic arrived in Portugal in the possession of Princess Vataça Lascaris, and today is (and on exhibition at the Royal Treasury in the Basilica of Castro Verde).

On 24 October 1855 it was incorporated into the municipality of Castro Verde.

Geography

Located in the northwest corner of the municipality, the parish is bisected by two motorways: the E1 Motorway (Auto-Estrada do Sul) that bisects the territory between the village of Casével and Aivados (connecting the main centre of Setúbal with Faro); and the secondary IC1 Motorway, in the western corner of the parish, that runs through the municipality of Ourique (intersecting two kilometres of Casével). There are no exits off of the E1, although secondary roads do link the IC1 to all the settlements in the parish.

It is surrounded by the parishes of Ourique, Panóis and Conceição (to the west) in the municipality of Ourique; Aljustrel and Messejana (to the north) in the municipality of Aljustrel Municipality; and the parish of Castro Verde (to the east and south). In addition, the northern limit of the civil parish is marked by a rail-line that slices the northern frontier on a diagonal trajectory (northeast to southwest) from Carregueiro (in Aljustrel) into Panois.

There are only three settlements in this parish, two of which are equidistant from the E1 motorway (Aviados and Casével) and the other (Estação de Ourique) which is a railway terminus and rural agglomeration. The remainder of the parish is divided into agricultural parcels/pastureland occasionally broken-up by farms or derelict buildings. The largest (and parish seat) is the village of Casével, its centre located two kilometres from the E1.

Economy

The principal activities in the village are related to agriculture and animal husbandry, in addition to small commercial and industrial sectors associated with milling, electricians and saw-milling.

Architecture

Culture

The village of Casével is home to acclaimed coral groups which have a long history of cultural importance within the municipality of Castro Verde. The Associação de Cante Alentejano: Vozes das Terras Brancas is the central body that promotes various groups of traditional canto singers, including Vozes de Casével and Antigas Mondadeiras, and its installations are open to the public (in the main square), allowing visitors to listen and appreciate the traditional ethnography and food of the parish.

Notable citizens

References

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Law nr. 11-A/2013, pages 552 36-37. 20 July 2014. Diário da República. Diário da República. Portuguese. pdf.
  2. Web site: Igreja Matriz de Casével/Igreja Paroquial de Casével . SIPA – Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico . SIPA . Lisbon, Portugal . Portuguese . José . Falcão . Ricardo . Pereira . 1996 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120401044557/http://www.monumentos.pt/Site/APP_PagesUser/SIPA.aspx?id=6560 . 2012-04-01 .