This enchanting hilltown with pretty whitewashed houses is enclosed within
14th-century walls. When King Dinis married Isabel of Aragon in 1282, Óbidos was
among his wedding presents to her. At the time Óbidos was an important port, but
by the 16th century the river had silted up and its strategic importance
declined. It has since been restored and preserved.

The entrance into the town is through the southern gate, Porta da
Vila , whose interior is embellished with 18th-century tiles. Rua
Direita, the main shopping street, leads to Praça de Santa Maria. Here, a
Manueline pelourinho  (pillory) is decorated with a fishing
net, the emblem of Dona Leonor, wife of João II. She chose this emblem in honour
of the fishermen who tried in vain to save her son from drowning.

Opposite the pillory is the church of Santa Maria , with a
simple Renaissance portal. The future Afonso V was married to his cousin Isabel
here in 1441. He was ten years old, she eight. The interior of the church
retains a simple clarity with a painted wooden ceiling and 17th-century tiles.
In the chancel, a retable depicting the Mystic Marriage of St
Catherine  (1661) is by Josefa de Óbidos. The artist lived most of her
life in Óbidos and is buried in the church of São Pedro  on
Largo de São Pedro. Her work is also on display in the Museu
Municipal .

Dominating the town is the castle , rebuilt by Afonso Henriques
after he took the town from the Moors in 1148. Today it is a charming pousada . The sentry path along the battlements affords fine
views of the rooftops.

Southeast of town is the Baroque Santuário do Senhor da Pedra ,
begun in 1740 to a hexagonal plan. An early Christian stone crucifix on the
altar remains a venerated item.