Golegã

Golegã is a small municipality in Santarém District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 5,913, in an area of 84.32 km².The present Mayor is Rui Manuel Lince Singeis Medinas Duarte, elected by the Socialist Party. The municipal holiday is Ascension Day.ParishesAdministratively, the municipality is divided into 3 civil parishes : Azinhaga Golegã PombalinhoHistorical sightsThe main historical sight of Golegã is its main church Igreja Matriz da Golegã, built in the early 16th century in Manueline (Portuguese late Gothic) style. The remarkable main portal and the ribbed vaulting inside the main chapel are its most important artistic features.Near Golegã village is located the Quinta da Cardiga, a manor house with its origin in a 12th-century donation to the Knights Templar. Originally the site of a castle, the property was remodelled in the 16th century into a Renaissance rural palace.PersonalitiesThe winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize for Literature, José Saramago, was born in the parish of Azinhaga in 1922. The distinguished goalkeeper Manuel Bento, having 63 caps in the national team to his credit, including games at the UEFA Euro 1984 and 1986 FIFA World Cup final tournaments, was born in the Golegã village in 1948.