Crato
Crato, Portalegre - Portugal
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Crato became an important town in Portugal´s history when the Order of the Hospitallers received vast territories in the Alto Alentejo region from King Sancho II, in 1232. By 1350, after the battle of Salado, the Order´s headquarters were established there and Crato gained prestige and prosperity. An avenue of orange trees leads to the Mother Church, dating from the 13th century, but much altered since then, and now exhibiting 18th-century tiles with fishing, hunting and travelling scenes. The ancient Hospitallers´ Castle is in ruins; at the town´s center, the Varanda do Grão-Prior (15th century) rises as the last symbol of the former and imposing Grand Prior´s Palace.
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