Attractions and Places To See around Maçussa - Top 20

The palace was built by the superintendent Diogo Inácio de Pina Manique (1733-1805), who held several positions during the time of the Marquis of Pombal. His connection to the town, which came to be called Manique do Intendente and was initially called Alcoentrinho, and which belonged to the Order of Christ, dates back to the time of his uncle, who established a manor in favor of his nephew in 1773. Thus began a very ambitious project, which envisaged the creation of a town with a rationalist architectural design and which included, in addition to the palace (whose construction remained unfinished), the Town Hall, the pillory, the Palace of Justice and the church. This plan did not go ahead due to Pina Manique's removal from the position of superintendent and his premature death.

The Roman bridge of Assentiz originally had two arches, but after a major flood in the 18th century, one of the sides gave way, leaving the bridge with only one arch. Analysing the way the stones in the arch area are placed, it is possible to conclude that this bridge is not in fact Roman, especially since it is now known that the Roman road did not pass through here. The bridge was part of the royal road built by order of Queen Maria I at the beginning of the 18th century, which followed the route of the old Roman road for most of its route. This royal road facilitated access to the region, allowing the flow of its products and also the passage of the mail carrier (transport of mail and people) that had a change point in Alto da Serra. The bridge is in urgent need of refurbishment and consolidation works. There is currently a bridge adjacent to it to connect Assentiz and Arrouquelas.

The origins of the Ermida Bridge possibly date back to the end of the 15th century. A Royal Road passed through here, which was intended to connect the river port of Vila Nova da Rainha and Caldas da Rainha. It was the route of the royal and court routes since D. João II, and was also frequently used by D. João V and D. Carlos. All that remains of this 15th century Royal Road is the emblematic Ermida Bridge, a work of art structured and built in dressed stone and its sumptuous Romanesque arch, or round arch. Due to its total lack of conservation and because it has to support loads (heavy agricultural machinery) for which it was not designed, it is currently at risk of collapse, and its passage is even closed.

It is surrounded by beautiful and abundant trees and is a bridge with a Romanesque arch. There are several theories regarding its construction; some argue that it was built during the reign of D. João II, in order to facilitate the King's movement when he went to meet Queen D. Leonor for a swim in Caldas, while others claim that it was built in the 19th century due to a technical issue, namely its width. Interestingly, this bridge supports two enormous pine trees on the upper part of the road.

The monastery was founded in 1289 by D. Berengária Aires, maid of Queen Santa Isabel and wife of D. Rodrigo Garcia, in fulfillment of the testamentary wish of her mother, D. Sancha Pires. The works resulted from the joint initiative of the founder and the Holy Queen, the latter having ordered the construction of the cloister and the infirmary. After the completion of the works, the queen continued to express interest in the monastery, leaving it around a thousand pounds in her will. The date of completion of the works is unknown, only knowing that, when the founder died in 1210, they had not yet been completed. After the extinction of the religious orders, in 1834, the monastery was progressively abandoned, entering a phase of dilapidation and destruction of its rich heritage that would last until almost the middle of the 20th century. Still in 1910, the church was vandalized and robbed, with tiles, paintings and a portico that existed in the Chapter House missing. In the 50s of the 20th century, the state of degradation that the complex had reached led to the replacement of the vaulted roof of the central nave with the current wooden ceiling. The organ and the coat of arms on the main portico had already been dismantled, while the building attached to the church was transformed into a cowshed. Since then, the complex has been the subject of extensive restoration work, which seeks to restore, as much as possible, some of its original characteristics.

“Paul Natura”, Manique do Intendente https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nKhlLvOrJw

Paúl de Manique do Intendente is an area of around 97,000 square meters that constitutes a very rich natural heritage of great importance in terms of biodiversity, namely in terms of avifauna, already recognized at national level. It is an ecosystem composed of more than 180 species, where you can find 5 "simply unique" species such as the striped tortoise, the common caiman, the otter, the black stork and the reed. The municipality has been focusing on promoting this space, having recently advanced with the installation of an infrastructure for the observation of the fauna and flora of Pául, which aims to promote knowledge, protection and preservation of this unique and so rich ecosystem for the Municipality of Azambuja and for the entire region.

very pleasant landscape, it is recommended