Oil Temple

Category: Civil Architecture > Museum

District: Portalegre > Sousel > Cano > Bairro Nossa Senhora da Graça

Location

The Olive Oil Temple is located in the picturesque village of Cano, within the municipality of Sousel, in the heart of the Portalegre district. Specifically situated in the Bairro Nossa Senhora da Graça, this location benefits from an environment that reflects the rural essence of Alto Alentejo, characterized by a gentle landscape of cork oak forests and olive groves as far as the eye can see.

Its location, in a settlement that still preserves the charm and tranquility of Alentejo villages, offers an environment conducive to discovering the region's agricultural and cultural heritage, even before entering its interior.

History and Knowledge of Olive Oil

The Olive Oil Temple is a space dedicated to the centuries-old tradition of olive oil production, a fundamental pillar of Alentejo's economy and culture. This place aims to preserve and share the ancestral knowledge associated with this liquid gold, from the cultivation of the olive tree to the extraction methods that transform olives into virgin olive oil.

Through its exhibitions, visitors are invited on a journey through time, discovering the techniques, tools, and the importance that olive oil has always held in the diet and lives of Alentejo's rural communities, witnessing the cultural and economic value of a product that has shaped the local landscape and identity.

Architecture and Experience

The architecture of the Olive Oil Temple was designed or adapted to tell the story it houses. It is likely that this space incorporates structural elements or equipment that once served for olive processing, such as stone mills or traditional presses, transforming the building itself into a piece of heritage and a museum.

As visitors walk through its rooms, they can observe the different stages of olive oil production up close and feel the atmosphere that once filled the old oil mills. The layout of the space seeks to recreate the working environment and the memory of the men and women who, over generations, dedicated their lives to the art of olive oil.

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