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The President of the Republic decorated the City of Guimarães with the grade of Honorary Member of the Order of Sant’Iago da Espada, thus emphasizing the role played by the city as a relevant cultural centre, mainly due to the artistic and scientific events carried out in the last decades.
Intended to reward literary, scientific and artistic merits, the Military Order of Sant’Iago da Espada was attributed to Guimarães with the favourable opinion of the Council of Ancient Military Orders, which underlined the city’s cultural features and stressed, jointly with the dynamic entrepreneurial centre, the diversified and pioneering events that it has been promoting both in the artistic and scientific fields.
The work carried out in the recovery and rehabilitation of the historic centre, within the scope of the candidacy to the listing as UNESCO World Heritage, the restoration work in the Vila Flor Palace, today a modern cultural centre, and of the former Municipal Market, transformed into the also rewarded Platform of Arts and Creativity, as well as the success achieved as European Capital of Culture, in 2012 – which bequeathed a network of equipment that continues operational - are all examples that attracted national and international regard for the city known as the “Nation’s cradle”.
Appointed as European Sports Capital in the current year, Guimarães also became distinguished in the scientific field by the setting up of AvePark – Science and Technology Facility – a centre of research and development that brings together the municipality with Minho University and with several entrepreneurial associations, in which, for instance, is headquartered the European Institute of Tissue Regenerative Medicine.
Figueira da Foz, in 1982, and Aveiro, in 1998, were the last cities to receive national decorations – the only ones after the 25th April 1974 – of a total of 15 urban centres decorated by several Presidents since the establishment of the Republic.
© 2006-2016 Presidency of the Portuguese Republic
You have gained access to the records of the Official Site of the Presidency of the Republic from 9 March 2006 to 9 March 2016.
The contents available here were entered in the site during the 10 year period covering the two mandates of President of the Republic Aníbal Cavaco Silva.
