Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications

Before returning home we still did a short stop in Elvas for lunch and to see the city. It was one of the few UNESCO sites in Portugal that I hadn't visited yet.

Elvas Square with Pillory

Elvas is a Portuguese municipality, former episcopal city and frontier fortress of easternmost central Portugal, located in the district of Portalegre in Alentejo.

Elvas is among the finest examples of intensive usage of the trace italienne (star fort) in military architecture, and has been a World Heritage Site since 30 June 2012. 

Castle of Elvas

The site, extensively fortified from the 17th to 19th centuries, represents the largest bulwarked dry ditch system in the world. Within its walls, the town contains barracks and other military buildings as well as churches and monasteries. While Elvas contains remains dating back to the 10th century, its fortification began during the Portuguese Restoration War. The fortifications played a major role in the Battle of the Lines of Elvas in 1659. The fortifications were designed by Dutch Jesuit Padre João Piscásio Cosmander and represent the best surviving example of the Dutch school of fortifications anywhere. - in: wikipedia

Old Cathedral of Elvas

The Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral (Portuguese: Sé Catedral Nossa Senhora d’Assunção; Antiga Sé de Elvas) also called Old Cathedral of Elvas is a religious building of the Catholic Church in the Republic Square, in the parish of the Assumption in the city of Elvas, in the district of Portalegre in Portugal. - in: wikipedia

Amoreira Aqueduct

This postcard was sent by Jackie

The Amoreira Aqueduct (Portuguese: Aqueduto da Amoreira) is a 16th-century aqueduct (begun in 1537) that spans the Portuguese municipality of Elvas, bringing water into the fortified seat.

The aqueduct has a length of 7,054 metres (23,143 ft) from its spring in the Serra do Bispo until the Chafariz do Jardim, and another 450 metres (1,480 ft) to the town fountain. Its track includes 1,367 metres (4,485 ft) subterranean segments, to a maximum altitude of 4,049 metres (13,284 ft) above sea level, while 1,683 metres (5,522 ft) include arcade segments. From Outeiro de São Francisco is the second canal, which redirects waters to Outeiro dos Pobres, identifiable in the arcade at Rossio. In total there are 833 arches, with at most four registers at any one time (diminishing size at higher altitudes), supported by rectangular pillars and strengthened by semi-circular and pyramidal buttresses. The structure includes the municipal coat-of-arms constructed of marble or azulejo. -in: wikipedia

Fort of Santa Luzia

This postcard was sent by Martinha 

The Santa Luzia Fort is located on the south side of the beautiful town of Elvas, and constitutes nowadays an important example of the 17th century Portuguese military architecture. 

Elvas, located next to the border with Spain, has been since early times an important strategically defensive point. This structure was built in 1641, right after the Restoration of the Portuguese Independence from the Spanish domain. Matias de Albuquerque signed the project that was later redesigned by Sebastião Frias on a star shape, and afterwards altered by Hieronimo Rozzeti.

This Fort was part of an important defensive structure which includes the São Mamede, São Pedro, Piedade and São Francisco Forts, integrating the Elvas defensive lines. 

This defensive system was able to resist the violent attack and three months siege that the Spanish Army made in 1659.

The Santa Luzia Fort presents a square plan with around 150 meters, and is constituted by several Vauban style bastions, ravelins, crowns and other military pieces. In the centre is the small fort where is located the Governor’s House.

Nowadays this Fort also houses the interesting Santa Luzia Fort Military Museum. - in: https://www.guiadacidade.pt/en/poi-santa-luzia-fort-20169

Fort of Graça

This postcard was sent by Javier

The Nossa Senhora da Graça Fort, officially Conde de Lippe Fort and known historically as La Lippe, is a fort in the village of Alcáçova, about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) north of the town of Elvas in the Portalegre District of Portugal.

The strategic importance of the fort was demonstrated during the Portuguese Restoration War, when in 1658 Spanish troops occupied the site during the siege of the town of Elvas prior to the Battle of the Lines of Elvas on 14 January 1659.

A century later, during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) King Joseph I of Portugal and the Marquis of Pombal called on Marshal Lippe to reorganize the Portuguese army and draw up plans for the modernization of the stronghold.

The work began in 1763 and continued into the reign of Maria I of Portugal (r. 1777–1816), with the fort reopening in 1792 under the name of Conde de Lippe Fort after its designer.

The fort is a 150 metres (490 ft) quadrangle with pentagonal bastions at the corners. Four ravelins cover the curtain wall, half of which form part of the monumental gate (Dragon Gate).

The central part of the square features a circular redoubt with two floors and a parapet with gun ports. The fort's circular tower has two vaulted floors: the first consisting of a decorated chapel and the second the Governor's House. Below the chapel, carved into the rock, there is a cistern. - in: wikipedia

The 7 properties (in red what I have):

• Amoreira Aqueduct
• Historic Centre
• Fort of Santa Luzia and the covered way
• Fort of Graça
• Fortlet of São Mamede
• Fortlet of São Pedro
• Fortlet of São Domingos