On October 20, 2021, the Royal Palace of Mafra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, hosted the commemoration of the National Day of the Lines of Torres.
The commemoration began with a welcome from the Mayor of Mafra, Hélder Sousa Silva, which was followed by the Wellington Honour Awards ceremony, introduced by the president of the Historic Route of the Lines of Torres Vedras, José Alberto Quintino. In his words, ‘this first edition of the awards appears, at this time, as a recognition and encouragement to the committed work of the distinguished entities, which have not given up on a long difficult period for all sectors, but particularly for Culture and Tourism, as a result of the pandemic crisis.’
The distinctions were handed over by the Mayor of Mafra, by the president of the Historical Route of the Lines of Torres, by its vice-president, Ana Umbelino, and by the members of the board, António Felgueiras and Rute Miriam.
The following entities were distinguished:
Accessible Portugal – Accessibility and Inclusion category
Associação de Defesa do Ambiente de Loures – Environment and Sustainability category
Associação 13 de Setembro de 1913 – Culture and Creativity category
Clube de Atividades ao Ar Livre – Sports and Adventure category
Friends of the Lines of Torres Vedras – Promotion and Disclosure category.
The award ceremony was followed by the ballet Invasão, with choreography by Susana Galvão Teles and music by Abel Chaves. Under the motto ‘Entering a house without asking permission,’ this musical piece contained within itself evocations of the Peninsular War period: from daily life to post-war reconstruction, the approach of the invasion, the arrival of the invader and subsequent defence, and the resistance of one people and two united armies.
The celebration of the National Day of the Lines of Torres Vedras completed with the magnificent concert Batalha Musical: Bonaparte vs Wellington – a show born from a selection of the favourite songs of the two geniuses of strategy, portraying a musical rush, in the Southern Cloister of the Royal Palace of Mafra, with the South Tower carillon pivoting between voice, trumpet and percussion.
The concert featured Abel Chaves (chimes, arrangements, and musical direction), Susana Gaspar (Soprano), João Milheiro (Trumpet), António Rosa, Fátima Juvandes and João Português (percussion) and António Jorge Marques (narrator).