Sobral de Monte Agraço has a long and rich history. But it was Joaquim Inácio da Cruz, who contributed to the growth of the municipality, through the construction of a set of infrastructures that the village did not have. In addition to the Solar da Família Sobral, he had the House of The House and the jail built, the fountain, the public square of pombaline moth, roads and bridges. He had the water search on his land, opened mines to supply the village and gave incentives to set up factories. He died in 1781, without leaving any offspring, passing the Morgado do Sobral to his brother Anselmo José da Cruz.
During the French Invasions, Sobral de Monte Agraço witnessed another remarkable period for its history by integrating the first line of defense of Lisbon – the Torres Vedras Lines – with a view to the defense of the capital of the kingdom and which was recognized, nationally and internationally, as the world's largest military campaign defense system.
The events experienced in the region during this period deeply marked the lives of its people, but were also decisive for the history of the country and Europe. In the episode of the third French invasion, Sobral de Monte Agraço played a decisive role in halting the progression of French troops on their way to Lisbon, notably through the fighting of Sobral and Seramena and the Fort Grande do Alqueidão.
Sobral de Monte Agraço thus holds centuries of history corroborated by various facts of the past that still persist in documentary sources and archives, but also in ruins, churches, chapels, farms and manor houses, forts and mills, in the toponymy of squares and streets.
The municipality of Sobral de Monte Agraço occupies an area of 52.10 km2 and consists of three parishes: Sapataria, Santo Quintino and Sobral de Monte Agraço, where about 10,540 people live, who have been contributing to the growth and construction of the periurban area, as well as for the implementation of support services for the resident population.
As for the settlement model, the municipality is based on a logic that correlates with the small property. Thus, the villages are characteristically of a considerable dispersion and are organized essentially in couples, places and villages. The parish of Sobral de Monte Agraço, county seat and more urban, is one that presents a more concentrated settlement structure.
In tourism, in addition to the proximity to local fauna and flora, through trails and walks that you can carry out throughout the county, you can expect to see mainly religious and military monuments. Other traces of archetonic parimonium can be visited, especially in the center of the village.
In gastronomy stand out the fried, a typical dish composed of fried pork accompanied by diced potatoes, also fried; the grape, a sweet that is made during the harvest season, with the grape must, cinnamon and wild apple of Esmolfe; and leg cakes or horseshoe cake.
The ease of access to the A8, which connects the municipality to Lisbon in a journey of about 45 minutes, makes Sobral do Monte Agraço a rural and natural paradise a step away from the city, ideal for those who want to maintain proximity, but also embrace a healthier lifestyle, communion with nature.
Source: Sobral town hall of Monte Agraço