Benedita, Portugal
Benedita | |
|---|---|
The parish of Benedita in the municipality of Alcobaça. | |
Interactive map of Benedita | |
| Coordinates: 39°24′21.73″N 8°57′41.57″W / 39.4060361°N 8.9615472°W | |
| Country | Portugal |
| NUTII | Oeste e Vale do Tejo |
| NUTIII | Oeste |
| Municipality | Alcobaça |
Benedita is a town and parish in the Portuguese municipality of Alcobaça and in the Oeste region. The parish of Benedita is located on southern edge of the municipality and has an area of 30km². It borders the municipalities of Caldas da Rainha and Rio Maior. It has a population of 8480 people, as of 2021, which makes it the most populated parish of the municipality of Alcobaça.
History
Its history is long, beginning in 800 AD. Later, Cistercian monks, an organisation of Christians that were already in the town of Alcobaça, started to search for places to do agriculture and farming. The place of Benedita received town status on May 16, 1984.
Economy
Although a predominantly rural area, the parish of Benedita is heavily industrialised. Its main industries are the shoe making, leather, knife making, stonemasonry industries. Pig farming is also important economically for this parish. The town of Benedita is one of the main commerce centers in the municipality of Alcobaça.
Nature
The eastern section of the parish is covered by the Aire and Candeeiros Ranges Natural Park.