It is uncertain when the settlement of São Geraldo was founded, although the first references date back to the 16th century, when its church was built. There are many megalithic remains in the local area. São Geraldo belongs to the Union of Parishes of Nossa Senhora da Vila, Nossa Senhora do Bispo and Silveiras.
1940s-1960s — Revolutionary activism: “João Mau-Tempo” takes part in a clandestine meeting near São Geraldo.
The municipality of Montemor-o-Novo is an example of a place where the Portuguese Communist Party was highly organised. It had active members from the 1930s, and by the 1950s and 1960s it extended to all parishes and small towns throughout the municipality. The sophisticated level of organisation of workers, united in making the demands such a daily wage of thirty escudos in the 1940s, quickly came to the attention of the PIDE which, realising the power of the organised workers, tried everything to crush the party, forcing many activists to live in hiding. (cf. Godinho, 2019, pp. 35-53). This meant that all actions carried out in secret had to be conducted with great care; this was the case of the meeting held near São Geraldo, which “João Mau-Tempo” and “Sigismund Canastro” took part in.
Type of tour:
Points of Interpretive Interest
Tour name:
Revolutionary Activism
Location:
São Geraldo
Parish:
Union of Parishes of Nossa Senhora da Vila, Nossa Senhora do Bispo and Silveiras
County (distrito):
Montemor-o-Novo
Route:
Montemor-o-Novo – N2 – São Geraldo
Type:
Walking tour
Distance:
(Not applicable)
Average duration:
15 minutes
Type of surface:
Urban roads
Signage:
Yes
Landowners:
Public right of way
Sights to see:
Parish Church of São Geraldo, 16th century;
Estanque Dolmen, Site of Public Interest, 5th to 3rd millennium B.C.;
Great Dolmen of Comenda da Igreja, National Monument, 5th to 3rd millennium B.C.
Largo de São Geraldo is just off Estrada Nacional 2, the parish church rising in the background. São Geraldo appears in the novel in connection with a clandestine meeting of rural workers and PCP activists which was held near the village.
Some come by train, getting off at São Torcato, on the Setil line, or at Vendas Novas, or even Montemor, if the meeting is being held in Terra da Torre, and at the nearer stations if they’re meeting in Terra Fria. It’s just a hop and a jump for anyone coming from São Geraldo, but anyone leaving Sao Geraldo on similar business today will have gone further afield, and this is not just chance, but doubtless in accordance with very sensible rules. It’s mid-morning now and there’s no bicycle to be seen, the trains are far away somewhere, you can hear them whistling, and a red kite is hovering over Terra Fria, a lovely sight to see. […] The first to arrive were Sigismund Canastro and João Mau-Tempo, who have made a special effort because one of them is new. While they waited, sitting in the sun so as not to get too cold, Sigismund Canastro said. If you take off your hat, always place it on the ground crown uppermost, Why, asked João Mau-Tempo, and Sigismund Canastro replied, so as not to reveal your name, we shouldn’t know each other’s names, But I know yours, Yes, but don’t say it, the other comrades will do the same, it’s just in case anyone should be arrested, if we don’t know each other’s names we’re safe.
(Raised from the Ground, José Saramago, 2018, p. 215, p. 216)
The clandestine struggle is fraught with danger and suspicion. While the PCP was highly organised, the PIDE had an extensive network of informants who sometimes infiltrated clandestine meetings. António Gervásio recalls that “Many comrades who were not arrested were known about by the police. They acted as police bait for making new arrests. There was an atmosphere of fear and dejection” (Gervásio, 2013). João Machado was arrested five times and served ten years in prison, but he never gave up his clandestine work. Navarro recorded his testimony about the 1940s.
“Were there activities in this area? Well, certainly; there were clandestine activists which were organised. How was I contacted and recruited, and how did the Communist Party organisation develop here? Well, we started by talking about the problem of poverty in the country. The first time someone told me about the Communist Party … I never told anyone about it. If we didn’t tell the friends anything do you think we were going to tell our enemies?! […] They started by giving me some copies of Avante in 1942, then in 1943 I was recruited into the party.” (Navarro, 2004, pp. 119-120).
The dissemination of the clandestine newspaper Avante, the nocturnal meetings called by the party, Radio Moscow, and little pamphlets were the most prominent manifestations of class consciousness, but all this entailed great risk. You could only talk about politics or working conditions if you were at home or in the fields, at night. People avoided having conversations in public places because the PIDE and its informants were everywhere, and their aim was to denounce people, causing them to be arrested, tortured and killed. In this way, the will of the people was bowed and silenced.
