The city of Évora boasts a rich heritage, with museums and Roman as well as medieval ruins. Yet it is within the streets and buildings of the 19th century that the fascinating world of political liberalism emerges, shaped by the rise of the bourgeoisie. To illustrate the impact of these developments on leisure, we have created the documentary The Heritage of Sociability II — Leisure Spaces in Évora, recently released under the direction of researcher María Zozaya-Montes and produced by CIDEHUS as part of the ‘Memory of Time’ series.
Focusing on leisure spaces, this second volume traces the major urban and social transformations in Évora since the advent of political liberalism. It explores advancements in decoration and sanitation, as well as changes stemming from the confiscation of church property and the adoption of new technologies. The narrative centers primarily on public squares, gardens, and the vibrant theatre scene, uncovering the evolution from informal performances to the construction of the Garcia de Resende Theatre, the influence of Spanish theatrical repertoires, and the systems of social representation used to project status.
Despite these transformations, a historicist perspective continued to view the city through the lens of its illustrious past, often anchoring its identity in distant historical moments. The city’s profile was molded by the symbolic demands of political liberalism, which overlapped with the rise of nation-states in Europe and Portugal. New symbols sought by the burgeoning bourgeoisie were integrated, emphasizing iconic historical events—exemplified by the Roman temple—and celebrating heroes like Garcia de Resende and Giraldo Sem Pavor. This documentary delves into the intricate social and urban dynamics of Évora’s 19th-century leisure scene.
The documentary aims to encourage critical thinking about the practical value of these spaces, seemingly dedicated to leisure, but which in the practical reality of daily life served to channel political resistance, to promote the values of democracy, to make theatrical criticism of dictatorships, or to find networks of social solidarity, as well as to promote cultural spaces that were denied to the popular masses in an era when democracy was not a fully realized reality in constitutional monarchical Europe.
DOCUMENTARY CREDITS
Script and documentary design: María Zozaya-Montes
Production and coordination: María Zozaya-Montes
Artistic direction: María Zozaya-Montes
Direction: Fernando Mendes, María Zozaya-Montes, Francisco Brito
DOCUMENTATION AND SOURCES
Selection of documents and objects: María Zozaya-Montes
Selection of old images: María Zozaya-Montes
IMAGES AND PHOTOGRAPHY
Current photographs: Francisco Brito, María Zozaya-Montes
Director of photography: Francisco Brito
Image direction and capture: Francisco Brito
Image editing: Fernando Mendes
VIDEO
Video capture: Francisco Brito
Video editing: Fernando Mendes
SOUND
Sound direction: Fernando Mendes
Sound capture and editing: Fernando Mendes
Music selection: María Zozaya-Montes, Fernando Mendes
Sound editing: Fernando Mendes
Coordination of the Memória do Tempo cycle: Ana Sofia Ribeiro.
PRODUCTION
Interdisciplinary Centre for History, Cultures and Societies, CIDEHUS, at the University of Évora. FCT funds UIDB/00057/2020.
Place of editing: Évora, Portugal.
Duration: 15 minutes (15’24”).
DETAILED CREDITS IN THE DOCUMENTARY (click here)
ARCHIVES AND RECORDING SPACES
AUE-FTE: University of Évora Archive, Túlio Espanca Collection | SRDE: Sociedade Recreativa Dramática Eborense (formerly Mocidade) | CME-AF: Évora City Council: Photographic Archive | CME-ND: Évora City Council: Documentation Centre | CME-TGR, Theatre Garcia de Resende CENDREV, Évora. CME: Évora City Council: The public garden.
SOURCE OF IMAGES AND SOUND RECORDINGS ©
BNE: National Library of Spain | CME-AF: Évora City Council, Photographic Archive, AFCME | CME-ND: Évora City Council, Documentation Centre | SHE: Sociedade Harmonia Eborense (via CME-AF) | SRDE: Sociedade Recreativa Dramática Eborense (formerly Mocidade), Portugal | GPE: Grupo Pro Évora (via CME-AF) | IPCE: Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sport, Ruiz Vernacci Archive and Loty Archive: António Passaporte | AUE-FTE: University of Évora Archive, Túlio Espanca Collection.
CITA/ QUOTE
María Zozaya-Montes (Dir.) «OS PATRIMÓNIOS DA SOCIABILIDADE II Espaços de Lazer em Évora» (15’22”). Portugal: CIDEHUS-Univ. Évora, 2025. Video em YouTube.
ENGLISH QUOTE, Part I & II
María Zozaya-Montes (Dir.) The Cultural Heritage of Sociability. Historical Leisure spaces in Évora, II. (15’22”). Portugal: CIDEHUS-Univ. Évora, 2025. Video in YouTube.
See the part I of the documentary: María Zozaya-Montes (Dir.) The Cultural Heritage of Sociability I , Associations in Évora (22’54”). Portugal: CIDEHUS-UÉ. Video inYouTube.
This documentary has subtitles in Portuguese and English.
It is available in HD. We recommend setting the maximum resolution to optimise visibility (instructions: go to settings, bottom right > settings > quality > 1080p).
Read this entrance in portuguese, click here
"This work is funded by national funds through the Foundation for Science and Technology, under the project UIDB/00057/2020", held at CIDEHUS-University of Évora (Portuguese Republic), DOI https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/00057/2020
This work of Maria Zozaya-Montes was funded by FCT (DL57) between 1 March 2019 to July 2024 at the University of Évora, CIDEHUS, under the project by FCT of Portuguese Republic, DOI: https://doi.org/10.54499/DL57/2016/CP1372/CT0010
Credits of the banner image: IPCE: Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sport (Institut of the Cultural Heritage), Loty Archive: António Passaporte 11243.
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OpenEdition le sugiere que cite este post de la siguiente manera:
Maria Zozaya (23 de diciembre de 2025). New documentary “Leisure spaces in Évora” directed by María Zozaya (CIDEHUS-UÉ). SOCIABILIDAD y ÉLITES. ISSN 2444-8052. Recuperado 13 de septiembre de 2026 de https://doi.org/10.58079/15etj
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