Vidigueira

Vidigueira is a town and a municipality in the District of Beja in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 5,932, in an area of 316.61 km².The present Mayor is Manuel Rosa Narra, elected by the Unitarian Democratic Coalition. The municipal holiday is Ascension Day. The archaeological site of the Roman Ruins of Villa Áulica and Convent of São Cucufate are situated near Vidigueira.ParishesAdministratively, the municipality is divided into 4 civil parishes: Pedrógão Selmes Vidigueira Vila de FradesNotable people Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama was made count of Vidigueira by King D. Manuel I on his return from his first trip to India by sea. Vidigueira is the birthplace of the humanist poet and commentator Achilles Statius. Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza's father lived in Vidigueira in the 17th century, before escaping from the Portuguese Inquisition to the Dutch Republic.