In the town centre stands an obelisk, a vertical symbol of the power of a king and his prime minister. The streets are arranged on a grid pattern, leading off from a broad, open square. The facades of the houses repeat the balanced forms of a sober and restrained architectural style. Vila Real de Santo Antonio is the perfect example of ideals of The Enlightenment of the 18th century put into practice. The town’s formality contrasts with the gentle landscapes along the banks of the Guardiana where, here and there, esplanades provide oases of cool and welcome relief from the heat of the sun.

Vila Real de S. Antonio’s origins can be traced back to a specific date – December 30th 1773 – the day on which the Royal Charter founding the town was signed. The town was built quickly – the contingencies of policy towards Spain and the iron will of the Marquis of Pombal, prime minister of King Jose I (1714 – 1777) meant that it had to be. The task of marking out the street plan was started on March 2nd 1774 and by August 6th the Town Hall, the Customs House and the barracks had already been completed, and the church was in it’s early stages.

The end of the 19th century and the decades that followed were a time of prosperity for Vila Real. The presence of sardines and tuna in the waters off the Algarve coast turned the town into a major canning centre, while its port was much frequented by the ships that sailed up the Guardiana to load the ore from the mines at Sao Domingos. One indication of the dynamism and wealth of the town at this stage is that it was the first place in the Algarve to have gas lighting in 1886. The municipality’s history does not however begin with the foundation of Vila Real. This part of the coast has been inhabited since ancient times, as can be seen from the dolmen and tholos – a beehive shaped tomb – in Nora near Cacela. Under the Romans and later the Moors, Cacela became an important town. After its castle was captured by Paio Peres Correia, master of the Order of Santiago in 1240, Cacela was the jumping off point of the reconquest of the whole of the Algarve.

Today, Vila Real de S. Antonio and it’s municipality, has a tourist trade that has grown up around it’s magnificent beaches, fishing and agriculture that are the mainstays of an economy that is expanding and diversifying.

How did Vila Real de Santo Antonio come to be Built?

In the 16th century a town called Vila Real de Santo Antonio de Arenilha stood near the site of the present town, though most probably nearer to the sea. By the 18th century it had disappeared, swallowed up by the waves and shifting sands. There remained a need, however, to control the arrival of merchandise via the Guardiana, to keep the fisheries of Monte Gordo under royal supervision and to present a firm face to Spain, with whom a war had been fought in 1762/1763. More than an act of pure royal will, the construction of Vila Real was inspired by pressing economic and political motives.

The experience gained in rebuilding Lisbon after the earthquake of 1755 was put to good use in Vila Real. Firstly in the careful planning of the urban structure, a task made easier by the flat lie of the land, then in the use of rigid architectural modules. Lastly the prefabrication of standardised building materials, such as stone blocks, which were brought by boat from Lisbon, cut and dressed ready to be put into place immediately on arrival. This meant that the whole town was constructed in just 5 months.

Places to See

The Main Church

Built in the 18th century this church has since suffered fire damage on a number of occasions. In the side chapels there are retables in the Rocaille style. The church contains a fine collection of 18th century statues, most notable among which is A Nossa Senhora da Encarncao or Our Lady of the Incarnation by the sculptor Machado de Castro. The stained glass windows in the main chapel and the baptistery, which were installed in the 1940’s, are from the Algarvean artist, Joaquim Rebocho.

Manuel Cabanas Museum

Home to an exhibition of works by the painter and engraver Manuel Cabanas, who was born in the municipality and for whom the museum is named. It contains the largest collection of wooden engravings in Portugal, as well as an interesting collection of more than 200 stones that were once used as part of the lithographic process to print designs on tins of tuna and sardines.