The freguesia of Luz de Tavira began to be known since the century XVI, before 1514 and its importance appears through its intense agricultural activity.
Luz of Tavira, declared town on July 12, 2001, is about six kilometres from the city of Tavira. Luz includes an area of 31.53 squared kilometres and has 3.778 inhabitants. Ists patron is Nossa Senhora da Luz.
Nowadays, this freguesia lives essentially of the agriculture and of the trade. The craftmanship activity, still present, shows works in iron, joinery and fishing products and the gastronomy, besides the feijoada of broodings, of the oysters and of the corn with conquilhas, the regional candies of almond should be tasted.
The quality of life in Santa Catarina
The Mother church of Santa Catarina of Fonte do Bispo is the favourite place for the tourists that visit that freguesia. Original from the century XVI, began to be built with manuelinas forms.
In the century XVIII, the renew gave Baroque forms to the facade. In its interior, there is a screen with the representation of the final Judgement, but the history is also one of the strong points in Santa Catarina. The freguesia is located to 13 kilometres from Tavira, with about 11.920 hectares of extension.
The population of the place, about 2.118 inhabitants, is devoted to the agriculture, to the craftmanship and the industry of the craft ceramic. The craft is the simplest form of translation of the culture of Santa Catarina. The production of tiles, bricks and craft tiles done by the Association of Craft Telheiros constitutes a point of reference of this freguesia.
In relation to agricultural activity, we have the culture of cereals and almond trees. The soils, limestone and clay, they determine the development of the craft and of the ceramic industry.
There are enough places exclusively destinated to the leisure and the example of that is the Tavira Country Lawn, where you can take advantage to relax with a bowling game on the grass.
Two places and a city
The city of Tavira is composed by two freguesias: Santa Maria and Santiago that were the first populations of the municipal district. Created after the conquest of Tavira to the Moors by D. Paio Peres Correia, in 1242, Santa Maria is the largest freguesia of the council about population with 6.041 inhabitants, in an area of 13.520 hectares.
Santiago remounts to 1270, when D. Afonso III donated its padroado to the Bishop of Silves. The freguesia has 2.590 hectares and 5.655 inhabitants. The main activities in those places are the trade, services, agriculture, besides the tourism.
The traditional kitchen contemplates shellfish and fish, about the craft, we have essentially the latoaria, although in the mountain they are made baskets in cane and stick, as well as chairs in board.
Tavira is the proof of many years of history. In the city, you can visit many churches, convents, palaces and a beautiful river.
A walk by the historical
Santo Estevao is placed in the barrocal of Algarve, with about 1.195 inhabitants, Santo Estevao has an area of 2.640 hectares. Its population lives, essentially, from the agricultural exploration and of the citrinos production.
This freguesia has a vast natural and architectonic patrimony. The creation of this place remounts to the century XVI (1597), however its development began to accentuate in the beginning of the century XX.
According to the history, Santo Estevao was a dispersed freguesia in the immensity of the green of the hills. The church is the central point of the area. The alfarroba production, fig, almond, wine, whitewash, firewood, coal and hunt are the responsible for Santo Estevaos economic development.
The craftsmanship works the baskets in stick or cane, chairs in board and the distillery. Santo Estevao is the ideal place to appreciate the charms of the barrocal. The Algarve is rich of traditions, culture and history.