Unfortunately, the medieval church did not reach modern times which may be explained by the peripheral and interior location of the village, thus being distant from the main centers.

It was still during the 19th century, with the implementation of various industries linked to the production of brandy, dried fruit, cork, esparto and others, that the parish could somehow overcome the isolation and know some progress, which was enhanced by the opening of roads and railways, thus allowing contact with the most relevant centers.

Today it functions as an open space for culture, but also as a place of homage and repository of memory of a figure that greatly marks not only this town, but also the country.

The Costume and Traditions Museum displays the role of the work in the fields and on the land and its preponderance in the village economy, mainly associated to the production and commercialization of nuts, olive oil and also linked to pastoralism.

A pioneer in the creation of a revolutionary methodology for teaching reading, his book he called "Cartilha Maternal", published in 1876, was translated into several languages, and is still considered current in many of its aspects.

It is a typical small Portuguese town, situated in the rising hills approximately 20 kilometres north of Albufeira, a city in the coast, and 16 kilometers southeast of São Marcos da Serra, a village in the Algarvean mountain range.

[2] The economy of São Bartolomeu de Messines revolves around agriculture, forestry, retail, local government and some light industry.