Versão portuguesa aqui.

GPS 38.524250032245256, -8.892654367496819

History of Praça do Bocage, published in the "Monografia de São Julião."

The occupation of this space, today called Praça de Bocage, attracted the attention of people who passed through this region, taking into account its exceptional location next to the river Sado. The Romans installed here, in the 1st century AD, a fish salting factory that was active for about two centuries, as proved by the excavations carried out in 1957 and 1980, under the guidance of the Museum of Archeology and Ethnography of the District of Setubal. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the factory ended up being abandoned and invaded by the Sado sands, in addition to being used as a dump.

Only a few centuries later, in the period of the Christian reconquest, the occupation of this space left its marks for future generations. With the conquest of the castles of Palmela and Alcácer do Sal, which were under the jurisdiction of the Order of Santiago, the repopulation of the lands along the River Sado took place, which, given their privileged situation, developed rapidly. Then, with the construction of the Church of São Julião, its churchyard, next to the ruins of the old Roman factory, defined the outline of the future Largo do marsh. Old port for fishing boats, as someone mentioned? If that had happened, the 13th-century walls obviously put an end to it. In the 15th century, by joining together several houses next to this southern section of the wall, the Palace of the Duke was formed, which occupied an area from the Palace of the Civil Government, almost to the Church of São Julião, closing the passage to the land next to the river.

The alluded section of walls would have remained standing until the year 1835. Inside the wall was located the arena of the Palace. By an Ordinance of December 31, 1835, the land of the riding arena of Paço was ceded to the city hall for the carrying out of works destined to improve the Praça do Sapal. It was then that the wall separating the square from the land facing the River Sado was demolished.

The perimeter of the north part of the square began to be defined in the 15th century, with the installation of the fountain, supplied by the aqueduct built by D. João II, in 1487. The fountain would be located in the center of the square, but , in 1533, when the Town Hall was being built, D. João III ordered that the fountain be moved in front of them. It was then that work began on enlarging the square, subject to its own layout. Several houses were demolished in the northern and western parts to make more space for the square, which now has a very special importance.

In the square lived illustrious personalities, such as the farm's sewer Nuno Fernandes and the physicist of the Master of the Order of Santiago.

Until the 19th century, the center of the square would have been a terreiro, with burial taking place in the churchyard throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, as evidenced by excavations carried out there. (...)

Praça do Sapal was the chosen location, after several failed attempts, for the placement of the monument to Bocage, built on the initiative of António Feliciano Castilho, with funds raised by public subscription in Brazil and in Setúbal through the local press. From then on, it ceased to be called marshes to take the name of the illustrious poet from Setúbal.

Praça do Bocage was never landscaped, but it was decorated with acacias and jacarandas, which gave it an intoxicating color in spring. In the center stands the monument to Bocage, inaugurated on December 21, 1871, its construction being funded, as we have already mentioned, by subscription carried out in Brazil and Portugal. On a Corinthian column, supported by four octagonal steps, stands the statue of the poet, made of white marble. Bocage, with his head uncovered and slightly inclined, dressed in his time, holds a bird's feather in his right hand and some sheets of paper in his left. The statue, which is two meters high, was chiseled in Lisbon, in the workshop of Germano José de Salles, as well as the column.

On the pedestal of the monument is the following inscription: «A M. M. Barbosa du Bocage/Admiradores sus/Portuguese e Brasileiros/MDCCCLXI.» Under this inscription, and on the other faces of the pedestal, there are several quatrains alluding to Bocage, in historical verses. On the floor you could see wonderful drawings and, later, some verses from the vate, worked as if it were lace, on the beautiful and much appreciated Portuguese pavement. The benches and lamps completed the very pleasant environment for walks in the late afternoon or on the weekend, which ended with the sound of music on the bandstand on the avenue. Flanking the square were (and some of them still are) majestic buildings: to the east, the Town Hall, a monumental modern building by Raul Lino, who sought to maintain the style of the building that burned down in 1910; some Flemish or Dutch-style houses, the large building where the Clube Naval restaurant was located and the editorial office of the newspaper O Setubalense; to the north, in typical houses from the 18th century, there were some unions, such as the drivers' moor, the large building where Empresa Transportadora Setubalense was installed, and also the curious building of the Corpo da Guarda, built in the 17th century, where it is located ( the Recruitment and Mobilization District was installed; to the west, you can see several modern buildings, the most important of which are Morgado da Bandeira (Viscount of Montalvo), with the respective coat of arms, Paço do Duque and Salemas or Ximenes, also emblazoned, where there is ( had) the headquarters of Vitória Futebol Clube. Throughout the square there are rich and varied commercial establishments. To the north of the square, almost opposite the clearing on Avenida Luisa Todi, loomed a building of good architecture, belonging to the Soares family. Contiguous to it, one could see the Hermitage of Nossa Senhora da Conceição and, next to it, the Casa do Corpo da Guarda, with its stone terrace. (...)

Old photos by Américo Ribeiro.

Thanks for reading.