Santa Maria da Feira

Santa Maria da Feira is a city and a municipality in Aveiro District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 139,309, in an area of 215.88 km².HistorySanta Maria is located in area that allowed it to be a crossroads of various peoples. Ancient Roman roadways connected Porto, Viseu, Lisbon and Braga and intersected the region, and was used until the 19th century. In addition, pre-Roman castros dotted the territory.Eventually, nomadic tribes began to settle in the vicinity of the castle. This settlement soon became known as the Terra de Santa Maria. This name first appeared in 1117, in a donation by D. Teresa, who began to reside in the castle around 1120. The lands of Santa Maria included a vast territory that included not only the municipality of Feira, but also Ovar, Vila Nova de Gaia, Vale de Cambra and São João da Madeira, among others.The castle of Santa Maria da Feira, the ex-libris of Feira, is a testament to the military architecture of the Middle Ages. It is the fulcrum of the history of the region, and an important point in the Reconquista.In the time of king Denis of Portugal, Feira already was the see of a julgado (old administrative division). This is testified by an ancient document called Foral Velho. It was awarded a new foral in 1514, when Manuel I of Portugal was the King of Portugal.GeographyThe municipality includes several towns and 3 cities : Santa Maria da Feira, Fiães and Lourosa. It is the most populous município in Entre Douro e Vouga and it is part of the Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto.