The spot was peopled in prehistorical times, as
is proved by several
caves discovered there and by hatchets of polished
stone. A cemetery dating from Roman times and coins of Tiberius and
Theodosius I have been brought to Iight. For a length of time
the Arabs
held dominion there, and to them has been attributed the origin of its
name of Mafra, meaning cavern. That, however, lacks justlflcation. In
1146 Afonso Henriques (1st King of Portugal) took from
the Moors the Castle, which remained in
the possession of the Crown
in 1193, for in that year it was ceded to the
military and religious
order of Évora.(1) ln
the reign of Afonso III it returned to the possession of
the Crown.
ln 1289 king D. Dinis exchanged
it for the castle of Portel, which
belonged to Maria Annes de Alvim. From the time of this lady began
the particular dominion of the town of Mafra, which lasted until
the death
of the last Marquis of Ponte de Lima.
The marquis descended from
the Viscounts of Cerveira whose family
received the dominion of Mafra by the 8th viscount's marrying Joana de
Vasconcelos e Menezes (1648).
ln the ancient town exists
the Church of St. Andrew, the old
mother-church (of which Pedro Julião or Hispanus was
the
/ 110 /
prior, before becomirig the famous
Pope John XXI), and a beautiful
example of primary Gothic of the transition period
from the 13th to the
14th century, although sadly neglected and in ruin.
In the nave can be seen two large tombs
of lias stone. They belong to
the 14th century and are those of the ancient lards
of Mafra, Diogo Afonso
de Sousa and his wife.
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