Crato is a beautiful village in the heart of the Alentejo region, calm and peaceful, famous for its wonderful Flor da Rosa Monastery and all its monastic tradition.
Crato’s history is very ancient and rich. This settlement was probably inhabited by Carthaginians around 500 b.C., and was also under Visigoth and Moorish sphere of influence.
Conquered to the Moors in 1160 by the first Portuguese kind, D. Afonso Henriques and was later offered to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
This Order chose Crato for its headquarters which gave great importance to this settlement, developing it, however in the 17th century the villages looses much of its military value when it is pillaged by Spanish troops when many important and historical documents were lost.
Nowadays Crato is a small beautiful village, well preserved, with small white houses with coloured brands, proud on its heritage, with the important Santa Maria da Flor da Rosa Monastery but also the lovely Mother Church from the 13th century, the ruins of the high Castle, the Nossa Senhora do Bom Sucesso Chapel that houses the Municipal Museum, as well as the Grão Prior Balcony, the last testimony of the magnificent Crato Priory Palace.
All throughout the region are present many megalithic monuments attesting the ancestry of the region, like the Couto Anta, the Andreiros Anta or the Penedo do Caraça Anta, among many others.
The surrounding nature is of great beauty with three lovely Dams: Vale Seco, Arreganhada and Câmara, providing good conditions for a great variety of nautical, sport and leisure activities.
Land of tradition and costumes, in Crato is produced a good variety of handmade objects, mainly in wood, clay, cork or marble.
