DORNES
39° 46' 13" N; 8° 16' 08" W
Vila de Dornes is located on a small peninsula on the edge of Zêzere, in the municipality of Ferreira do Zêzere.
It was the seat of a parish that was extinguished in 2013, as part of a national administrative reform, to, together with Paio Mendes, form a new parish called Nossa Senhora do Pranto with its headquarters in Frazoeira.
Dornes is located in the extreme north of the district of Santarém, municipality of Ferreira do Zêzere and touristically it is integrated in the Tourism Region of the Templários.
Dornes borders, across the river Zêzere (Albufeira de Castelo do Bode), with the parish of Cernache do Bonjardim, municipality of Sertã and district of Castelo Branco. In the municipality of Ferreira do Zêzere, it borders Águas Belas, Beco and Paio Mendes.
This parish comprises the village of Dornes, historical and religious seat of the parish and the places of Barrada, Cagida, Carril, Casal Ascenso Antunes, Casal da Mata, Frazoeira, Joaninho, Junqueira, Lameirancha, Macieira da Rocha, Peralfaia, Quinta da Benta, Quintas, Ribeiro da Coroa, Rio Cimeiro, Rio Fundeiro, Salão de Baixo, Salão de Cima and Vale Serrão.
History
A very ancient land, it even predates the founding of the nation.
From the 19th century, Dornes has been a tourist attraction and the visitor room of the municipality of Ferreira do Zêzere due to its stunning landscapes over the Zêzere and also due to the great historical and monumental load that its villages contain.
Patrimony
Tower of Dornes, pentagonal Templar tower.
Church of Dornes or Church of Nossa Senhora do Pranto, built in the 13th century and rebuilt in 1453, where there is a 19th-century pipe organ, stone images of Nossa Senhora do Pranto and Santa Catarina, a pulpit from 1544 and an oil painting called "Rest on the Flight into Egypt"
"Dornes village is situated 10 km northeast from Ferreira do Zêzere in an inlet of Castelo de Bode reservoir, Dornes is one of the most interesting towns of the central region of Portugal. There are several reasons for that: location, views, picturesque houses, legends and traditions related to it. The Medieval tower rises upon the small predominantly white houses. The tower was supposedly built by the Knights Templar, in order to watch over the deep Zêzere valley. Village foundation dates back to the 12th century and it is related to the appearing of a miraculous image of Our Lady Nossa Senhora do Pranto. Holy Queen Isabel (daughter of the Aragon King and married to the Portuguese King D. Dinis) ordered the construction of the first church in the end of the 13th century. It was replaced by a bigger church in the 15th century. The procession of Nossa Senhora do Pranto is held on August 15th, attracting a huge crowd.
Points of interest: It preserves a pentagonal towers which was built by the Templares; Igreja Matriz from 1285, which was rebuilt in 1453 which has an image of its patron saint N. Sr.ª do Pranto, it houses a silver processional cross with renaissance ornaments; Capela de St.º Antão with a panoramic view over the Serras da Gardunha and Lousã." (Portugal Off The Beaten Path)
💛💛💛💛💛
LAGO AZUL
💛💛💛💛💛
FERNANDAIRES RIVER BEACH
39º 44’ 2.94”N; 8º 12’ 33.24”W
It has at its disposal a floating swimming pool for adults and children, as well as a bar, changing rooms and parking area.
💛💛💛💛💛
ALDEIA DO MATO RIVER BEACH
39.545084º N ; 8.277179º W
Aldeia do Mato river beach is located in the Castelo de Bode dam, surrounded by exuberant nature, where the green and the aroma of the pine forest predominates.
Equipped with support infrastructure that includes floating pools and a campsite, this leisure area offers a range of activities that include equipment for the practice of water sports such as rowing, canoeing or windsurfing. Anyone who wants to get to know the entire area covered by the reservoir better can tour this large lake on a tourist circuit by boat.
The river beach of Aldeia do Mato is ideal for water sports such as canoeing, sailing, windsurfing and kayaking. It has a docking pier, changing rooms, bar, rental of equipment for water activities and floating pools, to enjoy the crystalline waters of the Zêzere River.
You can stay overnight in the bungalows that exist on site and wake up surrounded by a stunning landscape that combines the green of the stone pines with the blue of the river.
💛💛💛💛💛
CASTELO DO BODE DAM)
39°32'34"N; 8°19'11"W
The Castelo do Bode dam is used to supply water, namely to Lisbon, electricity production, flood protection and recreational activities. It is used by fans of sports such as windsurfing, sailing, rowing, power boating and jet skiing, as well as sport fishing (trout, largemouth bass, eels and red crayfish).
Technical considerations
Dam
Construction of the dam began in 1945 and was completed in 1951, under the direction of the designer Eng. A. Coyne.
The dam is made of concrete, by gravity, but with curvature. The maximum height above the foundation is 115 meters. The height of the crest is 124.3 m, and the length of the crest is 402 m. The foundations are made of gneiss and micaschist. The dam has a total concrete volume of 430,000 m³.
Reservoir
The reservoir is located in an area with an average annual rainfall of 1200 mm. The annual average integral flow is 2 352 000 000 m³. The millennial flood flow is 4 750 m³/s. The full storage level (NPA) is 121.00 m, and the maximum full level (NMC) is 122.00 m. The area of the reservoir at full storage level is 32,910,000 m². The total capacity is 1 095 000 000 m³, but its usable capacity is only 900 500 000 m³.
The river beaches of Alverangel (parish of S. Pedro) and Montes (parish of Olalhas), in this Albufeira, were distinguished by Quercus with the Gold Quality classification in the list of Beaches or Bathing Waters 2016.
Flood spillway
The dam has an orifice-type flood spillway controlled by two gates. The elevation of the crest of the spillway sill is 105 m, and the respective sill development reaches 28 m. The maximum discharged flow is 4 000 m³/s.
Hydroelectric power station
The dam has a hydroelectric power plant, with three electricity generating groups. The installed power is 159 MW and the energy produced in an average year reaches 396.5 GWh.
LOMBO ISLAND
💛💛💛💛💛
NOSSA SENHORA DO PRANTO
39° 46' 13" N; 8° 16' 8" W
History
It was formed in 2013, within the scope of a national administrative reform, by the aggregation of the former parishes of Paio Mendes and Dornes and has its headquarters in Frazoeira.
Legend of Our Lady of Pranto:
“Through the ravines and gorges that run from the Vermelha mountain range, also known as the Mendeira mountain range, located on the edge of Cernache do Bonjardim, to the Zêzere river, they heard and repeated themselves, day and night, more hurt.
The people were scared.
St. William of Pavia, who often passed through those places and crossed the river there, heard the complaints of the people.
Returning to the Court and having Queen Santa Isabel ask him news of her lands, the saint replied:
- Royal Lady, everyone is terrified with some groans that can be heard in the mountains.
- You don't have to be scared - said Santa Isabel - it's my cousin who doesn't want to stay in the Red Mountains and wants to move to my lands.
In fact, the image of Senhora do Pranto, with her son in her arms, appeared in the river and collected in a small chapel in the mountains, disappeared to appear on the other side of the Zêzere. The inhabitants of Cernache went to look for her but, during the journey, she disappeared to return to the other side of the river.
The Holy Queen continued:
- Go there. The land will be covered with heavy dew. In the place where there is no dew you will have a church built and there you will collect the image. And you will see how the woes cease to be heard, and the people are quiet.
So it was.
A new chapel was built in Dornes, in a picturesque location, opposite the Serra da Vermelha, Nossa Senhora do Pranto stayed there forever, and continues to be venerated there by faithful from both sides of the river who, every year, in the three days of the Holy Spirit, they gather in their thousands to hold curious candles, fulfill promises and sing quatrains”.
