22-519: Mexilhoeira Grande ( European Portuguese pronunciation: [mɨʃiʎuˈɐjɾɐ ˈɣɾɐ̃dɨ] ) is a civil parish in the municipality ( concelho ) of Portimão in the southern Portuguese region of the Algarve . The population in 2011 was 4,029, in an area of 91.15 km². Mexilhoeira Grande is situated in the north of the municipality of Portimão, primarily encompassing rural lands comprising white-painted homes, traditionally agricultural in character. It
44-457: A deliberative body (the assembleia de freguesia , "parish assembly"). The members of the assembleia de freguesia are publicly elected every four years. The presidents of the parish boards are also members of the municipal assembly . The parish, in contrast with the municipalities, had their base in the ecclesiastical divisions that "had its origin in the fact that neighbours professed the same religion and professed their faith and divinity in
66-426: A plan to reform the administrative divisions, claiming it would create efficiencies and save money. The plan envisioned the reform of the management, territorial geography and political form of how Portugal functioned at the local level, including specifically at the freguesia and concelho levels. It was determined that these changes would then be formalized before the 2013 local government elections, as part of
88-409: A process to reduce expenditures, a condition of the $ 110 billion accord. In addition to the reduction of the number of representatives in the local boards, the plan also established criteria for the reduction, amalgamation or extinction of various civil parishes. The reform was implemented according to Law 11-A/2013 of 28 January 2013, which defined the reorganization of the civil parishes. This way,
110-434: Is Alcácer do Sal (Santa Maria do Castelo e Santiago) e Santa Susana, with a land area of 888.35 km (342.99 sq mi), and the smallest parish by area is São Bartolomeu (Borba), with a land area of 0.208 km (0.080 sq mi). The most populous parish is Algueirão - Mem Martins, with a population of 68,649 people and the least populous is Mosteiro, with a population of just nineteen people. A freguesia
132-437: Is a subdivision of a município (municipality), which is a cluster of freguesias , like a US county . Most often, a parish takes the name of its seat, which is usually the most important (or the single) human agglomeration within its area, which can be a neighbourhood or city district, a group of hamlets, a village, a town or an entire city. In cases where the seat is itself divided into more than one parish, each one takes
154-457: Is bordered in the north by Monchique, by Portimão in the east, Alvor to the south, and by the parishes of Odiáxere, Bensafrim and Marmelete, in the north and northwest, respectively. The region's economy is primarily agricultural-based, although tourism has an important influence on local revenues. The Autódromo Internacional do Algarve , is the natural gateway to the region; situated in an area of plains, approximately 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) to
176-782: The Portuguese Empire until its handover to China in 1999. During the period of Portuguese rule it was divided into two municipalities which were subdivided into a total of seven parishes. In 2001 the municipalities were dissolved and their administrative functions transferred to the Municipal Affairs Bureau . The parishes were legally retained but no longer serve an administrative function. Afonso II of Portugal Afonso II ( IPA: [ɐˈfõsu] ; English: Alphonse ; Archaic Portuguese: Affonso ; Portuguese-Galician : Alfonso or Alphonso ; Latin : Alphonsus ; 23 April 1185 – 25 March 1223), nicknamed
198-579: The Church. These eventually created a state within the state. With Portugal's position as a country firmly established, Afonso II endeavoured to weaken the power of the clergy and to apply a portion of the enormous revenues of the Catholic Church to purposes of national utility. These actions led to a serious diplomatic conflict between the pope and Portugal. After being excommunicated for his audacities by Pope Honorius III , Afonso II promised to make amends to
220-493: The Fat ( o Gordo ) or the Leper ( o Gafo ), was the third king of Portugal and the second but eldest surviving son of Sancho I of Portugal and Dulce of Aragon . Afonso succeeded his father on 27 March 1211. As a king, Afonso II set a different approach of government. Hitherto, his father Sancho I and his grandfather Afonso I were mostly concerned with military issues either against
242-537: The first set of Portuguese written laws. These were mainly concerned with private property , civil justice, and minting . Afonso also sent ambassadors to European kingdoms outside the Iberian Peninsula and began amicable commercial relations with most of them. Other reforms included the always delicate matters with the pope. In order to get the independence of Portugal recognized by Rome, his grandfather, Afonso I, had to legislate an enormous number of privileges to
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#1732847592687264-516: The former Portuguese overseas territories of Cape Verde and Macau (until 2001). In the past, it was also an administrative division of the other Portuguese overseas territories. The parroquia in the Spanish autonomous communities of Galicia and Asturias is similar to a freguesia . The average land area of a Portuguese parish is about 29.83 km (11.52 sq mi) and an average population of about 3,386 people. The largest parish by area
286-459: The municipalities with the same name (except for Sé, which belongs to Funchal ). Of Cape Verde 's 22 municipalities , which form the highest level of sub-national government in the small African state, some but not all are subdivided into parishes. There are 32 parishes in the country. Macau is an autonomous special administrative region in Southern China that was historically a part of
308-421: The municipality directly. Barcelos is the municipality with the most civil parishes (61, since 2013). Portugal has no unincorporated areas ; all the national territory (apart from the above-mentioned example of Corvo) belongs to a civil parish, including uninhabited islands: Selvagens Islands to Sé , and Berlengas to Peniche , Desertas Islands to Santa Cruz , and Formigas Islets to Vila do Porto , in
330-547: The name of a landmark within its area or of the patron saint from the usually coterminous Catholic parish ( paróquia in Portuguese). Be it a city district or village, the civil parish is often based on an ecclesiastical parish. Since the creation of a democratic local administration, in 1976, the Portuguese parishes have been ruled by a system composed by an executive body (the junta de freguesia , "parish board/council") and
352-498: The neighbouring Kingdom of Castile or against the Moorish lands in the south. Afonso did not pursue territory enlargement policies and managed to ensure peace with Castile during his reign. Despite this, some towns were conquered from the Moors by the private initiative of noblemen and clergy, as when Bishop Soeiro Viegas initiated the conquest of Alcácer do Sal . This does not mean that he
374-483: The north of the parish, it is interconnected by variants of the Estrada Nacional EN125. Freguesia (Portugal) Freguesia ( Portuguese pronunciation: [fɾɛɣɨˈzi.ɐ] ), usually translated as " parish " or "civil parish", is the third-level administrative subdivision of Portugal , as defined by the 1976 Constitution . It is also the designation for local government jurisdictions in
396-500: The number of parishes was reduced from 4,259 to 3,091. Municipalities in Portugal are usually divided into multiple freguesias , but seven municipalities are not: Alpiarça , Barrancos , Castanheira de Pera , Porto Santo , São Brás de Alportel and São João da Madeira all consist of a single civil parish, and Corvo is a special case of a municipality without civil parishes, where all usual parish duties and functions are performed by
418-410: The parish the smallest division. But, the power of the clergy built these areas, accumulating immense wealth and power. The liberal government of Mouzinho da Silveira abolished the parishes in 1832, but the government of Manuel da Silva Passos restored them in 1836. The freguesia began to refer to the civil/administrative entity, while the paróquia ( Latin : parochia ) became affiliated with
440-694: The religious entity. Before the 2013 local government reforms, the 308 municipalities were subdivided into 4,259 civil parishes. In 2011, after more than two weeks of bailout negotiations in light of the sovereign debt crisis with the International Monetary Fund , the European Central Bank and the European Commission , the Portuguese government was obliged to reduce the number of municipal and parish local governments after July 2012. The government of Pedro Passos Coelho introduced
462-539: The same temple". Freguesia , the traditional Portuguese word for parish, had its beginning in the filius ecclesiae (child of the church) and filius gregis (child of the shepherds's flock), the collectivity of the religious faithful, with similar aspirations and interests. Between 1216 and 1223, Afonso II of Portugal began a process of legitimizing the Portuguese territory by conferring charters to nobles, clergy and municipal chambers (which would not be completed until after 1249, under Afonso III of Portugal ), making
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#1732847592687484-401: Was a weak or somehow cowardly man. The first years of his reign were marked instead by internal disturbances between Afonso and his brothers and sisters. The king managed to keep security within Portuguese borders only by outlawing and exiling his kin. Since military issues were not a government priority, Afonso established the state's administration and centralized power on himself. He designed
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