Towns and Villages

Santiago do Cacém is a peaceful town in the south of Portugal, whose origins date back to remote times. In the Roman period, it was an important town situated on the road linking Lisbon to the Algarve, a factor which greatly contributed to its development.

The definitive Christian conquest of the town took place in the thirteenth century in 1217, being achieved by the forces led by D. Afonso II, although there had been an earlier conquest in 1157 by the Knights Templar. It was around this time that the castle originally founded by the Moors was rebuilt. Other buildings of historical and architectural interest are the thirteenth-century parish church and the seventeenth-century chapel of São Pedro.

No visit to this region would be complete without a trip to the nearby ruins of Miróbriga, an important livestock farming centre and spa in Roman times. The archaeological site includes an important urban nucleus encompassing a hippodrome, several houses (some of which have mural paintings) and a clearly defined acropolis, where the forum and public baths are quite visible.