Convergence Center

Category: Culture and Entertainment > Community Centre

District: Beja > Odemira > São Martinho das Amoreiras > Aldeia das Amoreiras

Location:

The site that once housed the Convergence Centre is located in the peaceful Aldeia das Amoreiras, a small and quiet community nestled within the parish of São Martinho das Amoreiras. This Alentejo enclave, part of the municipality of Odemira, benefits from a location that mirrors the region's rural essence.

Aldeia das Amoreiras is immersed in the vast and serene landscape of the Alentejo, characterized by its cork oak and holm oak woodlands. The surroundings offer an environment of tranquility and allow visitors to observe local life and the authenticity of the Alentejo countryside.

A Community and Ecological Legacy

The Convergence Centre was a dynamic project that operated between 2007 and 2014, marking a period of intense activity in favour of sustainability and community development in the region. Although the project closed its doors in 2015, its impact endures as an example of civic initiative.

During its existence, the Centre served as a hub for promoting ideas and practices related to agroecology, the valorisation of traditional seeds, and food sovereignty. It was a space for meeting and sharing, where innovative approaches for a life more connected with nature and with local communities in the Alentejo were discussed and implemented.

The Former Primary School Building

The activities of the Convergence Centre project took place in the building of the former primary school of Aldeia das Amoreiras. This space, which once welcomed generations of students, was adapted to become a centre for experimentation and continuous learning for the community and interested visitors.

The building represents a type of school architecture common in rural Portugal and, even after the project's conclusion, continued to serve the community temporarily through other initiatives. Its presence in Aldeia das Amoreiras is a testament to the social and ecological dynamism that characterised this location during the years the Convergence Centre was active.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt