"Viana do Alentejo" a Viana do Alentejo Travel Page by johnsakura

Viana do Alentejo has become a center for extremely popular pilgrimages due to its strategic position routes leading south. It was chosen by kings to set up courts and sign treaties and was an area sought after by the best families.

Viana do Alentejo is a show case of different styles, with special emphasis on religious art, as devotion to Nossa Senhora d'Aires was the focus of one of the most impressive pilgrimages in the South of Portugal. The pilgrimage and fair still take place on the 4th Sunday in September every year.
Its location is near the town, and the vast church and sanctuary of Our Lady of Aires, rises on a beautiful plain, and attracts pilgrims since 1743

On the morning of 25 April 1974, troops loyal to the Armed Forces Movement (MFA - Movimento das Forças Armadas) overthrew the 48 year old Portuguese dictatorship, ending a regime that they created in 1926.