Eastern Way

A village of great historical interest of the Middle Ages, Sousel is a true municipality with history, the same that helps to explain the origins of its name, shrouded in great controversy. For many, the origin is in the phrase pronounced by D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, the kingdom’s constable at the time of D. João I – “Ora Sus a Ell” – in 1834, in prayer during the battle to defend against the Castilians. For others, the name comes from the fennel Seseli, which grows wild in the local fields.Documented since the mid-13th century, the tradition pointing to D. Nuno Álvares Pereira as the founder of the locality is nevertheless fictitious.

The town became the county seat in the 17th century, date of the pillory construction whose current location does not correspond to the original. It intended to slightly imitate the Manueline pillories, through an octagonal shaft, rings, with a pine coneshaped end. It is known that, in 1940, the pillory of Sousel was dismantled and was later rebuilt, reusing original elements.According to legend, Sousel was once plagued by a major epidemic. The population, desperate, prayed to St Sebastian and, soon after, the epidemic ceased. Grateful, the inhabitants of Sousel built a chapel in honor of St Sebastian and the image of the saint became the dominant figure in the municipal heraldry. Even today, in the hall of the city council, there is a bas-relief with St Sebastian figure, and the main celebration was also celebrated on January 20, the saint day. This historical background has been lost since long ago, and even the municipal heraldry has changed.

But the discreet Capela de São Sebastião, far from the historic center and composed only of a single nave and main chapel, remains an identity element of Sousel’s heritage. D. Nuno is once again mentioned when we refer to Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Ourada, which, according to tradition, was built in the exact place where Nuno Álvares Pereira would have gathered in prayer, before the Atoleiros Battle, held near Sousel, as indicated by an inscription from the 17th century. Another tradition admits that Sousel’s foundation was due to D. João I’s Constable, a fact that doesn’t correspond to reality, but was portrayed in the azulejo cycle applied to the nave of the church. The temple is still of Gothic construction, but from this first foundational only remains part of the choir’s vault. The temple’s current appearance dates back to an extensive renovation carried out in the 18th century, from which the main altarpiece, the marble pulpit and, in particular, the blue and white azulejo panels are also due.

O templo é ainda de construção gótica, mas desse primeiro fundacional resta apenas parte da abóbada do coro. O aspeto atual do templo data de uma ampla reforma realizada no século XVIII, a que se deve também o retábulo-mor,o púlpito de mármore e, em particular, os painéis de azulejo azuis e brancos.

Ancient Monastery of St Paul’s Hermits
The convent of Santo António was founded in 1605, from a hermitage dedicated to that saint, which was managed by a local confraternity. The monks of Azambujeira Convent (Avis), in the meantime closed by order of the General Chapter of the Order of St. Paul, moved there. The current complex dates back to a reform carried out in the first half of the 18th century when not only a new church was conceived, but also the temple was filled with gilded wood carvings, mural paintings, and azulejo tiles, thus contributing to one of the most important elements of the built heritage of Sousel. The main chapel’s azulejo panels depicting episodes of the life of St Paul Hermit stand out.