Description CampoMaior

Campo Maior is a Portuguese village in the Portalegre district, Alentejo region and Alto Alentejo sub-region with about 7,500 inhabitants.

It is the seat of a municipality with an area of ??247.20 km² and 8 456 inhabitants (2011), subdivided into 3 parishes. The municipality is limited to the north and east by Spain, to the southeast by the municipality of Elvas and to the west by Arronches. Wikipedia

Like so many others, Campo Maior is a serene and peaceful village in the south of Portugal, very close to the Spanish border. Tradition says that it originated from the will of three peasant families who decided to join together to form a settlement and protect each other.

The name of the village comes from the Romans (Campus Maior) but keeps the memory of the later Muslim occupation in whitewashed houses, with touches of blue and ocher. It initially belonged to the Bishopric of Badajoz and only later, with the Treaty of Alcanizes in 1297 (a peace treaty between Spain and Portugal), was it integrated into Portuguese territory. Even after that, he always maintained a very familiar relationship with the next village in Badajoz.

The population of this village is known for its character. In the year when everyone's wishes coincide, one of the most interesting popular festivals in the country takes place - the Flower Festival, also known as the People's Festival. Then the residents of each street get together to decorate paper flowers in cheerful and colorful compositions (usually in the first week of September). Thousands of people visit the village decorated with paper and color.

Of historical interest, you can see in Campo Maior the Capela dos Ossos built in 1766, one of the three existing in Portugal.