Attractions and Places To See around Brotas - Top 14

The Church of São Pedro da Gafanhoeira is a temple of Gothic and Mannerist architecture dated 1585, located in the parish of São Pedro de Gafanhoeira, in the municipality of Arraiolos. From the primitive Gothic-Manueline temple, only the arches and corbels behind the tribune of the main altar's altarpiece remain. The parish church, dedicated to S. Pedro Apóstolo, which replaced a primitive Gothic building, is the work of the last twenty years of the 16th century, founded by the Archbishop of Évora D. Teotónio de Bragança, who absorbed, without integral destruction, the Manueline apse. It was already under construction in the year 1586. 1534, the date of the VISIT of the bishop-infant D. Afonso, for which it had to be reinforced by two buttresses, a porch at the main entrance and, at the main altar, it received a frontal of Sevillian-type tiles, in addition to the complete renovation of the roofs.

Please note that this route is closed. The landowners where the walkways pass, I was told, are in dispute with the City Council and have a sign at the entrance to the walkway informing that it is private property and that entry is not permitted.

The patron saint of the village is Our Lady of Brotas, a devotion dating back to the 15th century. According to tradition, this devotion originated in the village of Águias, more specifically in the place called Brotas da Barroca, which at that time was completely uninhabitable due to its extreme humidity and the large pit surrounded by ravines, which local toponymy designated as Inferno, Inferninho, and Purgatório (Hell, Little Hell, and Purgatory). Legend tells that while a shepherd was tending his cow there, it carelessly slipped and fell dead to the bottom of the pit. When he realized what had happened, the shepherd, deprived of his main source of income to support his family, confided his grief to the Virgin, imploring her protection. Next, he began to skin the animal, and after cutting off the leg that had broken from the violent fall, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him, advising him to remain calm and asking him to tell the inhabitants of Águias to build a chapel there, saying that as soon as he returned he would find the cow alive. The shepherd did so, and when he returned to that place with his countrymen, the cow was already grazing as if nothing had happened, and from the leg that had been cut off, an image of the Virgin had appeared. Shortly before 1424, the hermitage was erected there, as a simple commandery of the Military Order of Saint Benedict of Avis and dependent on the town of Águias. And the image of Our Lady of Brotas was preserved there, about a hand's breadth tall and made of bone, perfectly harmonizing with the details of tradition. (Source: www.cm-mora.pt/locai)

The Raia stream is a water reservoir that originates in the municipality of Mora, more specifically in the parish of Cabeção, where the waters of two small streams, the Seda and Tera, meet. A few kilometres further on, it joins the Sor stream, in the parish of Couço, and is a tributary of the Sorraia river, which belongs to the Tagus river basin. The Gameiro dam is located in the initial section of the Raia stream, and is part of the hydro-agricultural development project known as the Prata river. The name Raia probably has Arabic origins. The Gameiro River Beach is located in the Gameiro Ecological Park, very close to the Mora River. The Gameiro dam, on the Raia River, gave rise to this wonderful bathing area. This ecological park is a point of interest in the municipality due to the variety of attractions and infrastructure available. The existing facilities include a campsite, a picnic area, the Mora River Park, and the Tree Climbing Park, where the entire area is designed for extreme sports. For younger guests, there is a children's playground and a café with a fantastic terrace. There is also an Environmental Interpretation Centre. The most attractive spot is the beautiful wooden walkway, known as the Gameiro Ecological Park Walkway. It is built entirely of wood and is 1.5 kilometres long. It offers an absolutely incredible view over the Raia River. The entire trail provides information about the trees, shrubs and flowers that grow there. For nature lovers, this is undoubtedly the ideal place to spend pleasant summer days. The riverside flora is characterised by poplars and willows, and the trail area is home to pine trees and cork oaks. Some of the points of interest in the area: • Gameiro Reservoir • Ribeira da Raia • Gameiro Ecological Park Walkways • River Beach • Picnic Park • Riverside Areas • Largo do Lagar Garden • Nossa Senhora da Purificação Parish Church • Natural Landscapes

The Gameiro Ecological Park was created at the Gameiro Dam, on the Raia River. It is a park that serves as a point of interest for the municipality, as it has a diverse range of attractions and infrastructures available. Examples include the Camping Park, Picnic Park, Leisure Area, Mora River Park and the Tree Climbing Park in the surrounding area, designed for extreme sports, and the Wooden Walkway along 1.5 km of the Raia River. The Gameiro Ecological Park is located in the parish of Cabeção, in the municipality of Mora.

The Mora River Aquarium is a public aquarium mainly dedicated to freshwater ecosystems, focusing on knowledge about biodiversity, the importance of rivers, lakes and other natural freshwater bodies and their relationship with humanity. It was opened on 21 March 2007 and during your visit you will get to know some of the freshwater species in Portugal from its source to its mouth, and even the ocean, as well as others that occur in the Iberian Peninsula, as well as in the Amazon River basin, the great African lakes of the Rift Valley and Asia. With freshwater as a cross-cutting theme in various areas of knowledge and cultures, a visit to this aquarium is a place to raise awareness about caring for these ecosystems that are home to enormous diversity, despite the fact that the freshwater available in liquid form on the surface constitutes a tiny percentage of all the water on planet Earth.

A perfect place to lower the temperature on hot days.

Wandergebiet am Ribeira de Raia.