Ancient town in modern-day Alentejo province, Portugal. Part of the emirate of Badajoz in the Cid's time.
This city dates back to the Bronze Age but was named Pax Julia after its conquest by Julius Caesar in 48 BC. The Town Square is still on the site of the Roman forum. The Moors occupied the town from 711 until it was reconquered by Fernao Goncalves in 1162. Little of the Moorish city remains today, except the the Igreja de Santo Andre, dating to 4th century, one of the few standing Visigoth churches in Portugal. Dating back to the 13th century are the Capela dos Tumulos do Convento de Sao Francisco, now the Pousada, and the 36-metre Torre de Menagem, the keep of the castle built after the Reconquest.
Now the greater part of these Moors had been they of Merida, Badajoz, Beja and Evora, and the King was minded to requite them in their own land according to their deeds; and he entered into the heart of their country, carrying with him fire and sword, and pressed them sorely so that they yielded vassalage.