The Nazaré bullring (Portuguese: Praça de Touros da Nazaré) is situated on the west coast of Portugal in the village of Sitio in Nazaré, Leiria District. The present bullring was built in 1897 in neo-Arab style and continues to be used for bullfights and other entertainment. An earlier bullring was destroyed by fire.[1]

Nazaré Bullring
The Bullring in Sitio, Nazaré
Map
General information
TypeBullring
LocationNazaré
CountryPortugal
Coordinates39°36′23″N 9°04′24″W / 39.60639°N 9.07333°W / 39.60639; -9.07333
Construction started1891
Completed1897
Opening1897; 127 years ago (1897)

History edit

The tradition of bullfighting in Nazaré dates back to at least the eighteenth century and has always been associated with the celebrations of Our Lady of Nazareth (Portuguese: Nossa Senhora da Nazaré), of which bullfighting was one of the main attractions. In the 18th and 19th centuries several temporary arenas were constructed and were subsequently demolished or suffered fires. As a result of a fire in 1874 that completely destroyed the bullring the Ministry of Public Works commissioned the architect Francisco da Silva Castro to design a new space in 1891, and the new bullring was inaugurated in 1897. It has two levels of seating with the first being polygonal and the second circular. Seating is on benches with some boxes on the upper floor. The bullring uses a revivalist Neo-Arab style, especially in the exterior windows and the interior finish of the second floor.[1][2]

 
Exterior view of the Nazaré bullring

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Praça de Touros da Nazaré". Nazaré Municipality. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  2. ^ Noé, Paula. "Praça de Touros da Nazaré". Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitetónico (SIPA). Retrieved 26 January 2019.