Loriga is a Portuguese village belonging to the county of Seia, district of Guarda. It is located in the province of Beira Alta and is part of the Serra da Estrela National Park.
Loriga, located in the southwest part of Serra da Estrela, is located 20 km from Seia, 80 km from Guarda and 320 km from Lisbon.
It is known as the "Portuguese Switzerland" because of its excellent location. It is located at an altitude of 770 m, surrounded by mountains, Penha dos Abutres (1828 m altitude) and Penha do Gato (1771 m), and is embraced by two water courses: Ribeira da Nave and Ribeira de São Bento, that come together at the bottom of the village forming Ribeira de Loriga.
Terrace were built over hundreds of years, managed to turn a rocky valley into a fertile valley. They mark the landscape, being part of the historical heritage of the village.
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MONUMENTS AND HERITAGE
In terms of historical heritage Loriga has the Roman bridge and road (1st century BC), an anthropomorphic grave (6th century BC) traditionally called "caixão da moura", the Church (13th century, rebuilt), the pillory (13th century, rebuilt), the neighbourhood of São Ginês, The street of Viriato and the Street of Oliveira.
This village was connected by the Roman road to the rest of the Roman Empire.
The street of Oliveira is located in the historic centre of the village. Its staircase has about 80 granite steps, which gives it peculiar characteristics. This street recalls many of the medieval urban features.
São Ginês neighbourhood is an area in the historic centre of Loriga whose characteristics make it one of the most typical neighbourhoods in the village. It is curious that this neighbourhood owes its name to São Gens, a saint of Celtic origin martyred in Arles, Gaul, at the time of Emperor Diocletian, saint of a Visigothic chapel located in the area, in the place where the chapel of Nossa Senhora do Carmo is located today. Over the centuries, the people of Loriga changed the name of the saint to São Ginês.
This neighbourhood is older than the arrival of the Roman people in the village.
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MUSEUMS
There are several museums that stand out in our region, we chose four, due to their proximity and interest. Get information at our reception if you want to schedule a visit to any of them. We can help!
