In the medieval village of Monsaraz, in the municipality of Reguengos de Monsaraz, Portuguese Alentejo region

 “The only thing that matters is to feel the fado. The fado is not meant to be sung; it simply happens. You feel it, you don’t understand it, and you don’t explain it.” – Amália Rodrigues

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(in a civil parish of the municipality of Reguengos de Monsaraz, in the Portuguese civil parish [(freguesia] of the municipality of Reguengos de Monsaraz, on the right margin of the Guadiana River in the Portuguese Alentejo region, near its border with Spain.} The town of Monsaraz was conquered by the Moors in 1167 (by the men of Geraldo Without Awe). The first charter came to be granted by D. Afonso III, on January 15, 1276. The castle of Monsaraz has played (over the centuries) the role of sentinel of the Guadiana, guarding the border with Castile. The village came to manage three parishes: the Matriz of Santa Maria da Lagoa, Santiago, and St. Bartholomew. The medieval village was the county seat until 1838, when that function passed to the parish of Reguengos.

+ The medieval village of Monsaraz, has maintained its characteristics through the centuries. A trip to Monsaraz is also a journey back in time as it is a unique place where you can still find peace and tranquility forgotten by modern times. Marked by lime and shale, it becomes "Monsaraz Open Museum" every July during July, an opportunity to learn about Alentejo customs and customs in handicrafts, gastronomy, and the various cultural events that take place here, including music, theater, dance, and art exhibitions. In the patrimony of Monsaraz, the Medieval Castle and Medieval Tower, the Old Courthouse Building, and the Mother Church of Nossa Senhora da Lagoa; this place is.
considered one of the oldest villages in Portugal. Monsaraz has recorded evidence of settlement since prehistoric times, being initially a fortified castro. From then on it was successively occupied until the period of formation of the nationality, being conquered for the first time by the Muslims in 1157.

+ Returning to the dominion of the almôadas after D. Afonso Henriques was defeated in Badajoz, the town would be reconquered by D. Sancho II in 1232, who donated it to the Order of the Temple. The Christian repopulation of Monsaraz, however, was only to take place in the reign of Afonso III, when the monarch granted him the first charter, fixing the limits of the county. In the following years the primitive nucleus of the castle was built, including the keep, the matrix, and the Gothic court, whose interior houses the fresco of O Bom and Mau Juiz. Throughout the 16th century, and with the Manueline reform of the charter, the village was growing, establishing itself a Brotherhood of Mercy.

+ During the Restoration Wars, due to the proximity of Monsaraz with the Guadiana and the Spanish border, the Crown had built a new fortress around the village, using the French-Dutch system, or Vauban. The project of the new square of arms was designed by the French engineers Nicolau de Langres and Jean Gillot (in1975).