Eastern Way

Pure and hard plain, without shadows, some horses grazing, some olive trees lined up and a few planes taking off from the aerodrome, which aims to be an international airport. Beja serves as a starting point for another stage, which ends in Cuba, a town with several attractions. Right from the start, in the square where the Tourism Office is located, we discover the controversial statue of Cristóvão Colombo, by sculptor Alberto Trindade, which was inaugurated in 2006 and weighs one and a half tons. According to historical research, Cuba was the birthplace and baptism of Salvador Fernandes Zarco, the illegitimate son of a nobleman from Beja.

He adopted the Spanish name of Cristóvão Colon to serve, at the behest of the Portuguese king, as a spy in the Spanish court. The plot – described in an exhibition at the Tourism Office – is complex but credible, and explains, among other “coincidences”, why the famous discoverer gave the name of Cuba to the island he arrived in the Caribbean, in addition to other names of Alentejo origin that he used in other “baptisms”.Cuba has other charms, such as the fountain and public washhouse, built in the 20th century, which served those arriving in Cuba coming from Beja, even establishing itself as a social complex of great importance.

The current configuration of the fountain dates back to 1923, according to the inscription on the gable, the only more monumental part, marked by three openings, the central one wider and framing four spouts in the shape of a lion. The wash house is located behind the fountain and attached to the “mãe de água” (wellhead).

Probably founded in the 16th century, the essence of the Quinta and chapel of São Pedro (St Peter) dates back to the next century when the chapel became a local pilgrimage destination. The late baroque appearance of the main façade was conferred in a campaign of works carried out around 1804. It’s a building of remarkable scenographic impact, with a front preceded by a galilee and flanked by two slender towers.

Pilgrim houses were attached to the church. Of medieval origin, the chapel was completely reformulated from 1572, the year in which the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora, in Lisbon, signed a contract with the master mason Manuel Gonçalves. The result was a majestic temple, of great dimensions, with the main façade flanked by two grandiose staggered towers. The interior has a unique vaulted nave, reinforced by buttresses, and profusely decorated with polychrome azulejo tiles dating back to 1665. The main altarpiece is from the first half of the 18th century, with rococo additions. In 2003, the sacristy was transformed into a museum space to house the church’s treasure.