Amarante, Portugal
| Amarante | |||
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| Municipality | |||
Amarante on the bank of the Rio Tâmega.
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| Coordinates: 41°16′N 8°04′W / 41.267°N 8.067°WCoordinates: 41°16′N 8°04′W / 41.267°N 8.067°W | |||
| Country |
 Portugal
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| Region | Norte | ||
| Subregion | Tâmega | ||
| Intermunic. comm. | Tâmega e Sousa | ||
| District | Porto | ||
| Parishes | 26 | ||
| Government | |||
| • President | José Luis Gaspar (PSD) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 301.33 km2 (116.34 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2011) | |||
| • Total | 56,264 | ||
| • Density | 190/km2 (480/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | WET/WEST (UTC+0/+1) | ||
| Website | http://www.cm-amarante.pt | ||
Amarante (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐmɐˈɾɐ̃t(ɨ)]) is a town and a municipality in Porto District, in northern Portugal. Amarante is situated in the agricultural lands of the Minho region, and belongs to the Porto district, region Norte and sub-region Támega. The population in 2011 was 56,264, in an area of 301.33 km². The city itself had a population of 11,261 in 2001.
The Tâmega River runs through the town and is crossed by a large arched bridge, the Ponte São Gonçalo. It is reputed to have helped local forces fend off a French attack in the early 19th century. Nowadays the older centre of town is dominated by a multitude of cafés and restaurants dotted along the steep banks of the southern side of the Tâmega River. Amarante is also associated with the tale of Saint Gonzalo/Gonçalo de Amarante.
The area around Amarante was settled as early as the Stone Age by the prehistoric tribes who inhabited the Serra da Aboboreira. However, its importance increased only after the arrival of Saint Gonçalo de Amarante, in the 12th century. The construction of the stone bridge across the Tâmega river is credited to him.
After his death, Amarante became the destination of pilgrimages and grew substantially. In the 16th century, King John III of Portugal had the church of St. Mary turned into a large Dominican monastery near the bridge of St. Gonçalo. The bridge was destroyed by a flood in 1763 and was rebuilt.
During the Napoleonic invasion of Portugal, the bridge of Amarante was the seat of an episode of Portuguese resistance against the French troops led by general Henri François Delaborde. The city was set to fire by the French, and was later rebuilt.
The architecture of the Amarante region is mainly in the Romanesque style, with a number of Romanesque monuments (colonnades, arches, tympana and columns) throughout the region. They were built in deserted areas or on crossroads on the outskirts of inhabited areas, serving as meeting places, accommodation and defensive positions. Amarante became part of the Sousa Valley Romanesque Route (Rota do Românico) project on the 12 March 2010. The most notable buildings in the area are generally places of worship and include:
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