CALDAS DA RAINHA

town and concelho (township), Leiria district, west-central Portugal, north of Lisbon. Its name, meaning Queen's hot springs, recalls Queen Leonor, who founded a hospital there in 1485. By the end of the 19th century the town had become a popular spa. A tourist centre, Caldas da Rainha is also known for its glazed ceramic pottery. The church of Nossa Senhora do Ppulo, in early 16th-century Manueline style, is notable. Pop. (1981) town, 17,768; concelho, 41,483.