Amareleja

Amareleja
Parish
The Old clock-tower and battlements in the centre of Amaraleja
Amareleja
Coordinates: 38°12′29″N 7°13′41″W / 38.208°N 7.228°W / 38.208; -7.228Coordinates: 38°12′29″N 7°13′41″W / 38.208°N 7.228°W / 38.208; -7.228
Country	Portugal
Region	Alentejo
Subregion	Baixo Alentejo
Intermunic. comm.	Baixo Alentejo
District	Beja
Municipality	Moura
Area
• Total	108.56 km2 (41.92 sq mi)
Elevation	209 m (686 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	2,564
• Density	24/km2 (61/sq mi)
Postal code	7885
Area code	285
Website	http://amareleja.com.sapo.pt

Amareleja (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐmɐɾɨˈleʒɐ] or [ɐmɐɾɨˈlɐiʒɐ]) is a Portuguese civil parish of the municipality of Moura, in the district of Beja. The population in 2011 was 2,564, in an area of 108.56 km². It is one of the hottest places in Europe during the summer (record high 47.4 °C (117.3 °F)).

Archeological vestiges from the Roman epoch are found in the north of the village until the margins of the River Ardila, but they suggest the fields of Amaraleja were occupied by various generations during the pre-history of the region. Antas (dolmens), burial tombs, wall paintings, flint implements, vestiges of metal smelting and Bronze Age tombs (carved into the hills) have been discovered by farmers or during road construction. Roman remnants include the pavements of buildings, circular burial tombs with bowls and fragments of bone, coins with the inscriptions of Emperor Claudius, roof tile, masonry and milling stones. In Barranco de Valtamujo there remains of a Roman bridge, that possibly connect to another along the Ardila River, and near the port of Castelo. This bridge provided a daily crossing for the residents along the margins of the Vale de Navarro, which is known for having many vestiges from antiquity.

During the reign of Sancho II, Moura (the municipal seat) was conquered from the Moors, and a feudal seigneurial system was imposed in the region. Sancho relinquished the village to the Knights Hospitaller, who left their marks in the region of Amareleja (including erecting their cross in some sites). Some of the early buildings were influenced by the Order and other high nobles, who sent their shepards and herds to graze in this part of the Kingdom. Over time a small agglomeration began to form in the area called Montinha, in the place that was later be known as aldeia velha (old farm).

By November 1481, in the Cortes of the city of Évora, the representatives of the people determined the need to create chapels and hospitals in various comarcas of the Kingdom. It was during this meeting that Mareleja began to receive religious attention, but few formal records after 1527 identify what became of these deliberations: it was referenced during King John III's census (1527), identifying a small agglomeration of 55 dwellings.