Olivais () is a (civil parish) and traditional quarter of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. It is situated in the eastern part of the city, bordered by Parque das Nações to the east, Marvila and Alvalade to the south, and Lumiar and Santa Clara to the west. As of the 2021 census, it had a population of 32,179.Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Census 2011 results according to the 2013 administrative division of Portugal
History
Kingdom of Portugal and incorporation into Lisbon (1147–1886)
The parish was created in 1397, thanks to the intervention of the first bishop of Lisbon .Vaticano, Regesta Lateranensia, vol. 80, fls. 155V/157 (pesquisa do P.e António Bonifácio). The parish was duly sanctioned through a papal bull issued on the 1st of July in 1400 by Pope Boniface IX.
This new ecclesiastical entity was created by incorporating territory from the Lisbon Term. These lands, long before their inclusion in the Parish of Olivais, had previously comprised the outskirts of the city, situated beyond Chelas. The Marvila district, once home to Moorish mosques, had been in the possession of the bishopric since the year 1149. This land may have been affiliated with the Parish of Sacavém, which was established in the 12th century, potentially encompassing the areas of Marcos, Encarnação, and Portela. The demarcation of boundaries in this regard was somewhat vague and subject to fluctuation.
The Lisbon Term was granted to the capital city in 1385 by the benevolent D. João I, as a token of gratitude for services rendered to the nation and the monarchy. Its territory extended as follows: encompassing the entire expanse of the kingdom from the western coastline along the Atlantic Ocean, to the south along the same ocean and the Tagus River, to the east along the Tagus River, and demarcated to the north, conceivably, by the Alcabrichel River on the ocean side, and the Ota River on the Tagus side. Consequently, the area that would later evolve into the parish of Olivais fell under the jurisdiction of the city of Lisbon. This state of affairs endured until the 19th century.Dispersos, do Eng.º Augusto Vieira da Silva, pp. 35 a 38. Só por decretos n.ºs 23 e 24 de 16 de maio de 1832, se separam, no país, as funções administrativas das judiciais (Idem, p. 48).
This donation by the Master of Avis was advantageous for Lisbon, but it some who had vested interests in the area were dissatisfied. For example, D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, the lord of the reguengos of Sacavém, Unhos, Frielas, and Charneca, voiced his grievances to the monarch. However, through a letter of sentence issued on the 13th of April in 1429, the king declared, "we judge that the said city exercises jurisdiction over the said places freely, unencumbered by the letters of donation presented by the said count, and without prejudice to him in this matter." Elementos da História do Município de Lisboa, de Eduardo Freire de Oliveira.
The parish church must have been constructed no earlier than the 14th century, given the year of the parish's formation. Local legend states that the patron saint's image was found within the hollow of an olive tree trunk, leading to the naming of the new jurisdiction as Nossa Senhora or Santa Maria dos Olivais. The vicar ordered the trunk to be uprooted and preserved, and it was kept in the sacristy until 1700.
In 1420, at the invitation of the vicar himself, the Congregation of Secular Canons of Saint John the Evangelist built their first temple in the parish. However, the friars were expelled, likely due to personal differences, and Archbishop D. Jorge da Costa united the church with the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Conceição at the Lóios Convent, near the São Jorge Castle of Lisbon, where they have been since 1442. Until 1834, the tithes of the parish belonged to the Lóios Convent. The church of Olivais became or already was a "vicarage, presented by the Rector of the Santo Eloy Convent."
The proximity to Lisbon benefited the new parish, as the area grew with numerous settlements. However, the central area occupied by the church experienced slow growth in contrast to the more rapid development of peripheral zones, especially those along the Tagus River on this side of Cabo Ruivo.Livros de Arruamentos, de 1762/1833; batismo de 4 de setembro de 1796; e livro destinado às assinaturas das Pessoas Reais, da igreja. De notar que neste livro, é citada N.ª S.ª da Assunção como padroeira do Templo. It is believed that Nossa Senhora dos Olivais owes its existence to the requests of the local population, given the difficulty of attending religious services in the distant churches of Lisbon and Sacavém, which were heavily dependent on poor transportation, particularly during the winter.
In 1674, the Convent of São Cornélio, belonging to the Franciscan friars, was built in the parish.
The construction of the railway in 1856 triggered the new industries in the parish, that benefited from both the proximity to the railway line and the nearby river port of Olivais. However, as Lisbon expanded into the neighboring rural areas, Olivais began to decline toward the end of the 19th century, and its most profitable areas were parceled off and gradually annexed into Lisbon:
In 1654, the position of Corregedor do Crime (Crime Magistrate) of the Term was abolished, and the 42 parishes under his jurisdiction (including Olivais) were placed under the jurisdiction of the city's magistrates for law enforcement purposes.Fr. Nicolau Oliveira, por exemplo, nas suas "Grandezas de Lisboa", julgava a cidade encaixada entre Belém e São Bento de Xavregas, não citando a freguesia oliponense na relação das jurisdições seguidas à capital. Para outros, Lisboa findava em Marvila, cedida nos primórdios, à Mesa Pontifical. In the 1700s, a substantial portion of the Olivais parish was commonly regarded as integrated into the capital. On May 12, 1758, the boundaries of the city extended by royal decree from the Tejo River to Santa Apolónia on one side, with Olivais bordering the Vale de Chelas. On the Sacavém side, the delineations of the parish encompassed Marcos, Encarnação, Portela, and the Road to Sacavém, in the vicinity of Bela Vista."Livro de Arruamentos", escriturados em função do alvará de 26 de setembro de 1762, relativo à cobrança da décima. São confirmados pelos assentos paroquiais, principiados em fim do século XVI. In 1770, the eastern territory was carved out to establish the new parish of Beato, which encompassed Chelas, Fonte do Louro up to Cruz do Almada, Rua Direita de Marvila, Grilo, Beato, and Poço do Bispo. The updated 1780 plan returned Rua Direita de Marvila to Olivais. In 1811 and 1834, Olivais participated in the city's division into 13 neighborhoods and six judicatures, each with its own Term.Plano de divisão, e translação das paróquias de Lisboa, de 1780. The Alfama neighborhood judicature comprised the parishes of São Bartolomeu da Charneca, Campo Grande, São João da Talha, Santa Iria da Azoia, Olivais, Sacavém, São Tiago dos Velhos, and Vialonga. On May 21, 1841, the administrative structure of Lisbon was revised and reduced to six neighborhoods, although Olivais remained under Alfama. The Municipality of Olivais was created by decree of the Ministry of the Kingdom on September 11, 1852. The civil governor of Lisbon appointed a temporary Administrative Committee (until elections could be held) and designated a state building to serve as the Town Hall for the new municipality.
Between 1852 and 1886, Santa Maria dos Olivais formed a large municipality, predominantly rural, including 22 civil parishes. It covered an area of approximately 223 square kilometers and had a population of 25,495 inhabitants in 1864, which increased to 29,491 inhabitants by 1878.
Then on July 18, 1885, Lisbon annexed the parishes of Beato, Charneca, Ameixoeira, Lumiar, Campo Grande, and Olivais from the Municipality of Olivais. Following the dissolution of the Belém municipality, the parishes of Carnide and Odivelas were temporarily incorporated into the Municipality of Olivais, albeit for only one year. In 1886, the southernmost parishes were integrated into the city of Lisbon, and in 1887, the municipality's seat was relocated to the town of Loures, thereby formally dissolving the Municipality of Olivais and establishing the new Municipality of Loures. The parish of Santo Estêvão das Galés became part of the Mafra municipality.
The Olivais Municipal Council convened for the last time in its official capacity at the Town Hall on December 30, 1886. The council members included the following: President, Barão de Vale Formoso, Tomás António Barbosa Leitão; Vice-President, João Antunes Pomba; and Councillors, Manuel Rodrigues Azevedo, Olegário Luís António de Sousa, Joaquim Marques Ferreira, Fernando Silvestre Alves, and Francisco Pereira Pedroso. On January 2, 1887, the council administered the oath of office to the new Municipal Council of Loures in the same location. The first regular session of the new municipality took place on January 7, and the council remaining at the "extinct" Municipality of Olivais until July.
Urbanization and new boundaries (1886–2012)
On September 26, 1895, the extramural part of the Sítio dos Marcos was separated from the Olivais Parish and joined to the Municipality of Loures. Later, by Decree No. 15,222 dated March 23, 1928, the extramural part of the Sítio dos Marcos became the Moscavide Parish.Decreto n.º 15 222 de 23 de março de 1928
Established in 1897, already under the administration of the Lisbon municipality, the , formerly part of the extinct council of Olivais, is situated on the grounds where the Convent of São Cornélio stood in 1674. On the path to the cemetery chapel, the oldest burial plots were constructed, including that of the , a philanthropist who financed and established a refuge for the most underprivileged children in the area. This refuge still exists today as a daycare and kindergarten under the auspices of the D. Pedro IV Foundation.
Lisbon Airport began construction in 1940. A significant portion of the territory of the Olivais parish is occupied by the airport. Humberto Delgado Airport served approximately 33.65 million passengers in 2023, being the busiest airport in Portugal, the fourth busiest in the Iberian Peninsula and the 12th busiest in Europe.
On February 7, 1959, the administrative division of Lisbon was altered again, creating new parishes and adjusting existing ones. As a result, the massive Olivais parish was reduced to the following boundaries: "Starting from the edge of the Tejo River near Cabo Ruivo, it follows northwest along the axis of Lisbon's Second Circular Road. After passing the airport roundabout, it continues for about 1100 meters along the projected axis of the aforementioned circular road until it reaches the point closest to the same circular road, near the longest runway of Lisbon Airport (N.E.-S.W.). From here, it continues, skirting the airport, along the western side (along the edge of the lands reserved by the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation for the expansion of runways) until it reaches the circumferential road that limits the city and the municipality of Lisbon. It then continues east along the municipal boundary until it reaches the Tejo River. Finally, it turns south, following the riverbank until the starting point."