Pousada de Condeixa-a-Nova - Santa Cristina

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The Pousada de Condeixa a Nova, Santa Cristina, a former palace owned by the Almadas Family, was built in the 16th century.

For several years it received members of the European nobility. In the first half of 19th century, the palace was transformed in a hotel inn; later on it was an orphanage to poor Childs and finally an asylum homeless elderly people.
This Palace was completely reconstructed, having been transformed in this beautiful charming hotel. The Pousada Santa Cristina is close to the Lisbon-Oporto motorway (A1), near the historical university city of Coimbra and only 2 Km from Conímbriga, one of the best preserved Roman ruins in Europe.
Its interior design, the peacefulness of its surrounding green areas and the palace park nearby, are all excellent reasons to visit this Pousada again and again.
The Pousada has 45 rooms: 35 Twins (30 standards + 5 superior) and 10 doubles (7 standard + 3 superior).
The rooms are equipped with:
• AC
• Cable TV
• Mini-bar
• Hair Drier
• Locker
• Wireless internet
• Bathing gowns
• Phone
• View surroundings
Activities
At the Pousada:
• Tennis court
• Swimming pool
• Family games
Outside the Pousada:
• Shooting range
• Mountain biking
• Boat trips
• Horse riding
• Country walks
• Fishing (sea)
• Rafting (Mondego River)
• Hunting
• Canoeing (river)
• Cross bow

Gastronomy
Speciality Restaurant Menu
• Shrimp sautéed with sesame seeds, ginger and julienne of vegetables
• Juicy octopus rice with fried octopus
• Roast Lousã kid with cornbread panade and turnip greens
• Barriga de Freira - dessert made with egg yolks, sugar and sponge cake

Interesting Places:
• Conímbriga Roman Ruins
• Coimbra: São Tiago and Santa Cruz Churches, Cathedral and Old Cathedral, University (18th Century Library and São Miguel Chapel), Machado de Castro National Museum, Portugal in Miniature Park
• Montemor-o-Velho Castle
• Lousã Mountain Range
• Figueira da Foz beaches

Fairs and Markets:
• Sta. Cristina Festival (Condeixa)
• End of Academic Year Festival (Coimbra)
• S. João (Buancos)

Pousada History:
Pousada was from Almadas Family and was building in XVI century. From many years receive people from European nobleness. In the first half of XIX century was transformed in an inn, posterior was an orphanage to poor Childs and asylum for old age without home.
This Palace was completely reconstructed, has been transformed in a beautiful Pousada.
Santa Cristina, which name was given to the Pousada, was a young roman girl of the outskirts of Bolsano, in the Toscânia, that after being baptized, refused to sacrifice herself to a statue of Apolo and to distribute gifts to the poor people.
Her father, who wanted to force her to believe in the Gods cult, made her get undressed and tortured by his slaves. After, she was tied to a wheel that broke with a miracle, killing the cruel men.
Still not satisfied, they tied one of her hands to the neck and made her get in a boat that was launched into the lake of Bolsando, so that she would disappear. But, once more, she survived holding to the millstone that floated instead of sinking.
Christ came down through Arcanjo Miguel, who gave her a hand getting back to land
After her father’s death, the persecution was worse. They putted her in an oil boiler, then in a furnace where she was kept for five days, like three young Hebrews in Daniel’s book, singing with the angels. Everything was inefficient.
She was even bitten by poisonous serpents and her breasts and tongue were sliced, what did not stop her to speak and, throwing it to the eyes of the judge, he became immediately blind. The arrows shot against her turned over against the archers, right into their throat.
Santa Cristina supported all these horrible punishments with only twelve years of age. These incredible scenes that with so many excesses almost seems a comedy, origins in elements of the legend of Santa Bárbara, Santa Catarina and Santa Úrsula. As Saint Bárbara, it it is pursued by the father who ordered it to close in a tower. Santa Catarina was tied to a wheel and left there. Úrsula suffered the arrows punishment.
The popularity of Cristina Saint comes form the geographical situation of Bolsano, of which she was patroness and where was situated a peregrination route. The peregrines, going to the "perpetual city", would not forget to stop in Bolsano to pray in its tomb
In Condeixa, people pray for her since D.Manuel I dedicated the church construction, in 1502, Santa Cristina. The day chosen in her dedication was the 24 of July, based on the liturgical calendar, being it a municipal holiday.

History of Condeixa:
The Condeixa-a-Nova Village is situated in the coastal band of the central region of the country, being 192km away form the north of Lisbon, 120km from the south of Porto and 12km from Coimbra, the main city of the central region.
It belongs to the province of the Coastal Side, to the district of Coimbra. Condeixa-a-Nova reached its administrative emancipation in middle of séc. XIX, with the Letter of Law of D. Maria II, published in 17th of April 1838.
This council was constituted of 9 cities: Anobra, Belide, Bendafé, Condeixa-a-Nova, Condeixa-a-Velha, Ega, Furadouro, Sebal and Dry Village. Rodrigo Fonseca Magalhães was the responsible for the emancipation of the village.
In 6th of March 1852, the council of Rabaçal was made extinct, passing to the council of Condeixa the following cities: Alvorge, Rabaçal and Zambujal.
The Council currently called Condeixa-a-Nova occupies a total area of 135 km2 and possesses a population of 15340 inhabitants (Censuses 2001).
Some of the populations are situated in the heart of the mountain. Agricultural is the most important activity and source of income for the habitants of this council. More recently, and due to excellent geographic localization, the implantation of industrial units has been accented.

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