Ferragudo will be marking the 500 year anniversary on 21 August at 7 pm, with the reedited version of the book written by Luís António dos Santos “Barlavento Histórias do Algarve” (Barlavento Stories of the Algarve), being presented in Ferragudo, in front of Instituto de Socorros a Náufragos.

Besides the book presentation, people visiting will also be able to pick up a free information brochure detailing the rich history of Ferragudo, created and distributed by Bright Homes Algarve real estate, located at Ferragudo Valley Park in front of Castelo do Arade at the entrance to Praia Grande.

The brochure includes a detailed history of Ferragudo from information about the Phoenicians, who inhabited the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, controlled trade along the Mediterranean coast from 1200 to 600 BC, to then the Greeks took over the trade, who were then outflanked by the Carthaginians from the north of Africa.

According to the brochure, from about 200 BC to 400 AD, the Algarve was part of the Roman Empire and then from around 400 AD, the Visigoths from the Balkans plundered Rome and occupied Spain and the southern part of Portugal. At the beginning of the 8th century, they were expelled by the Moors from the north of Africa.

In 1139, Count Afonso of the county of ‘Portucale’ defeated the Moors at the ‘Battle of Ourique’ and was proclaimed king of Portugal. ButAl-Gharb still remained in the hands of the Moors. More than a hundred years later, his great-grandson King Afonso III of Portugal expelled the Moors from the Algarve and then also became king of the Algarve. In the early 15th century, Portugal started the explorations along the coast of Africa from Lagos.

The founding of Ferragudo came on 2 August , 1520, Queen Dona Leonor agreed to the request of the city of Silves to establish a settlement at the site of Ferragudo. The cosy central square here is named after her. Silves was then the capital of the Algarve and the bishop had his seat there. However, the significance of Silves had greatly reduced. Lagos became more and more the centre of the

Algarve through the voyages of discovery and the trade that resulted from them. Due to the silting up of the Arade river, the accessibility of Silves deteriorated more and more and the new city of Vila Nova de Portimão became more important. In addition, the infectious plague had settled in Silves. Bishop Dom Fernando Coutinho therefore rarely came into the city and sought a healthy shelter outside the city for the citizens of Silves and for himself. Through Ferragudo, Silves would gain influence at the mouth of the Arade River and be able to compete with the growing Vila Nova de Portimão on the other side of the river.

To read more about the history of Ferragudo, pick up a free copy from Bright Homes Algarve.