Largo De Santa Clara

Elvas is a fortified town in the Alentejo, a few kilometres from the Spanish border, and its old centre is a maze of whitewashed lanes, small squares and stout walls. Among the squares, the Largo de Santa Clara is one of the most pleasing, a quiet open space in the upper town that has the feel of a stage set, with historic buildings around it and a monument in the middle. It is a good place to pause on a walk through the town.

The square is dominated by its pillory, the pelourinho, a stone column in the Manueline style of the early 16th century, set on a stepped base. Pillories were symbols of municipal authority, and Elvas, as an important frontier town, had one of high quality, with a twisted shaft and a decorated capital. Visitors who look closely will see the carved details and the typical form of the monument, which was once the place where public notices and punishments took place. Standing next to it, an old arch frames the view into the square and gives it its character.

The main building on the square is the church of Nossa Senhora da Consolação, popularly called the Igreja das Dominicas after the Dominican nuns who occupied the convent next to it. It is a remarkable Renaissance building from the 16th century, with an octagonal ground plan, a form that was rare in Portugal and reflects Italian ideas about ideal centrally planned churches. Inside, the interior has a domed space with walls covered in tiles and painted decoration. The church is not always open, so it is wise to check the opening times at the tourist office, but the exterior is worth seeing in any case.

Close to the square lie many of the town's attractions. The cathedral and the old castle are nearby, and the town's great bastioned walls, built in the 17th and 18th centuries and now part of a World Heritage site, surround the old centre. The Amoreira Aqueduct, a long arched structure that brought water to the town from several kilometres away, can be seen entering the town at its western edge. Elvas is also known for its sweets, including plums preserved in sugar, a regional delicacy with its own protected status, and a custard-like dessert called sericaia, and the pastry shops of the old town sell both.

Most visitors spend a day in Elvas, climbing the walls and visiting the forts. The Largo de Santa Clara can be seen in a few minutes, but it is a pleasant place to sit. The streets are cobbled and sloping, so comfortable shoes help. The square suits history lovers and anyone who enjoys the atmosphere of small historic towns.