Convent of Arrábida

The majestic Arrábida Mountain Range, located on the Setúbal Peninsula, a unique and rich natural landscape, houses in the midst of its vegetation a cultural heritage of immense value: the Convent of Arrábida, founded in the 16th century, which stands out in the landscape of the mountain, with its vernacular architecture and very intelligent hydraulic system.

In addition to its natural features, the mountain also has a very strong cultural landscape, full of spirituality and mysticism. And these are the determining elements for the settlement of the religious community of Capuchin friars in the Serra da Arrábida. The model of occupation and organization of this landscape reveals the management and use of water as a key issue for the sustainability of the monastic community.

The lack of permanent surface water lines in the mountains, resulting from the geology, rugged terrain, climate and low rainfall, forced the Franciscan religious community to develop other means of bringing water to the area. At the beginning of the Modern Age, with the aim of settling there, the community began to identify the different means of collecting water to see how they could use water resources, particularly groundwater and surface runoff. Means that would intelligently meet the needs of the religious community.

Primary sources

Map and location