Winner of the Month - May

 In the Portuguese speaking community of the PC forum we have this winner of the month game and last month I was the winner. The prize were these wonderful cards.

 

Fotografia: Fernanda Gonçalves

Just like me, Diana also seems to enjoy going to antiques and collectors fairs. Yesterday I went to one in my city, where I bought a few cards. She bought this one at the Espinho fair and I loved!! This picture was taken in Carção, Vimioso, northern Portugal.

 

Tiago usually posts photos of his sent mail on Instagram and FB and I saw this postcard in one of the publications. I immediately thought "Is this for me?" It really was and like Diana's postcard, it fits wonderfully in my elderlies collection.

 

Pedro sent me this postcard because he knows that I like churches but it could also have been because I really miss Madeira. 

Popularly known as 'Colégio Church', the Church of Saint John the Evangelist is an admirable example of 17th-century religious architecture. Considered one of the most beautiful monuments in Funchal, this temple marks the transition from international Mannerism to Portuguese Baroque. - in: https://visitmadeira.com

One more church, one more island. The postcard was sent by Isabel. 

Terceira was my first island in the Azores and in a few days I'll be there for a few hours but I won't be able to go to Angra to visit the Cathedral. 

The cathedral, Igreja do Santíssimo Salvador da Sé, is an imposing temple, considered the largest church in the entire Azores archipelago. It was built in 1568 to serve as the seat of the bishopric of the city of Angra.

 

 Fotografia: Henrique Ruas

There are still so many places that I've never visited, and others I haven't even heard about, in Portugal. Ana Cláudia introduced me to the Roman ruins of S. Cucufate in Vila de Frades, Vidigueira, Alentejo region. 

These ruins are made up of a mansion, spas, a temple and an agricultural production area. The villa is probably the largest in Portugal, and a unique example in the country, being integrated into the typology of an aulic villa.

The Roman occupation of the site probably began in the 1st century AD, and ended in the 5th to 6th centuries, during the barbarian invasions of the Iberian Peninsula. However, the site continued to be inhabited during this period, with the old Roman temple being converted into an early Christian basilica. The old Roman house was later occupied by two Christian monasteries dedicated to São Cucufate, founded at different times, and each with its own church, built in different places within the ruins.  

The archaeological remains were classified as a National Monument in 1947. 

This a community in Portuguese but we like to hear/read other languages too. In this case, Spanish. The card was sent by Maritere, whom I met many years ago in a meeting in Salamanca. 

Puentecillas is, perhaps, one of the places with the most personality and charm in Palencia. It is considered the oldest bridge in the capital, as its origins seem to go back to Roman times, most likely to the 1st century BC. However, the numerous reforms it has undergone since then have radically changed its current architectural bill. Of all these transformations, the most important was the one that lived at the end of the Middle Ages, around the 16th century, when its appearance and layout were adapted to those it exhibits today. It was a place of passage for the clerics who went to the Sotillo de los Canónigos and for the gardeners who cultivated the orchards located on the banks of the river. - in: https://turismo.aytopalencia.es

 Tânia likes to travel and visited Mount St. Michel on her last trip. I haven't visited it yet but I really want to go there.  

A few curiosities about this amazing place.

- The construction of the Mont Saint Michel Abbey started in 708 AD and was built over 1300 years by several generations of workers working and surviving in an inhospitable site;

-  The idea came from a dream of  Bishop Aubert of Avranches, who was visited in his dreams by Archangel Michel. The Archangel instructed him to build a church on the rocky island situated at the mouth of the Couesnon River; 

- The construction of the Mont Saint Michael represents the feudal hierarchy practised at the time. God is, of course, on top and after that comes the abbey and the monastery. The great halls are constructed below this and then comes the stores and the housing and at the bottom nearly outside the walls are situated the fisherman's and farmers’ housing;

- The strong fortifications & high tidal waves made it impossible for the English to capture and conquer Mont Saint Michel during the Hundred Years War;

- Mont Saint Michel was also a prison during the French Revolution in the 18th century;

- Mont Saint Michel is well known for being a tourist destination but it is also a very important pilgrimage site;

- William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy created a replica of Mont Saint Michel that was called St Michael’s Mount of Penzance and is situated on the English side of the channel;

- The iconic castle of the animated movie Tangled was inspired by the Mont Saint Michel. It was also the inspiration behind Minas Tirith, the capital city of Gondor in Lord Of The Rings;

- The tidal waves in Mont Saint Michel reach nearly 14 metres which is the highest in Europe;

- Mont Saint Michel and the surrounding bay have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979. - in: https://www.billets-montsaintmichel.fr