 |
This article about a location in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Alcántara is a municipality (pop. 1769) in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain, on the Tagus, near Portugal. The toponym is Spanish word for "drain" from the Arabic al-QanTarah [القنطرة] meaning the bridge. It is famed for its Roman bridge of the same name of six symmetrical arches, 194 m/670 feet long and 71 m/210 feet high, built in honour of Trajan in 103-106. An inscription gives the name of the architect of the viaduct, C. Iulius Lacer.
The Order of Alcántara, a religious and military order, was established in 1176 here, for defence against the Moors, and was suppressed in 1835.
In 1499, Peter of Alcantara, teacher of Theresa of Avila, saint and Franciscan reformer was born here.
References
- Richard Stillwell, ed. Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, 1976: "Alcántara, Cáceres, Spain"
External links
- Alcantara Bridge in the Structurae database
- Alcántara Bridge, Alcántara, Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain (Archived 2009-10-25)
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alcántara |
Coordinates: 39°43′20″N 6°53′23″W / 39.72222°N 6.88972°W
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
