Brejoeira Palace is the "ex-libris” of the Alto Minho region, a magnificient building from the beginning of the XIX century, in neo-classical style. Located in Pinheiros parish, in Monção,  has been classified as “Patrinónio Nacional” (Nacional Heritage), since 1910. A mannor-house, surrounded by high walls, according to the age,  with a rare leafy park of centenary aromatic trees. Is a remarkable place - Palace, chapel, woods, gardens, vineyards and an old  wine cellar – its harmony captivates and enchants.  Beyond the gardens, they carefully cultivate, 18 of the 30 acres, with Alvarinho grapes that Herminia Paes transformed in one of the most emblematic wines of  the Monção Subregion.
The Palace was built on a charming farm, Quinta do Vale da Rosa, nowadays Quinta da Brejoeira with spacious and luxurious saloons, large library, winter garden, theater, decorative tiles, silverware, eastern porcelains, mother-of-pearl and black wood  furniture, everything here is palatial and can be visited.
http://www.portoenorte.pt/

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The Torre of Lapela (Portuguese: Torre de Lapela) is a ruined medieval castle located next to the Minho River in the town of Lapela, in Monção municipality, Viana do Castelo District, Portugal.

History

One tower is all that remains of the Castle of Lapela, which was situated a few kilometers downstream from the Castle of Monção, which defended the ford of the Minho. The historians P. Antonio Carvalho da Costa, Pinho Leal and José Augusto Vieira attribute its foundation to Lourenço Gonçalves de Abreu, lord of Merufe, Sanfins, Lapela, Barbeita, Regalados, and other lands of the Alto Minho. It is thought that because he had fought in the Battle of Valdevez next to King Afonso I and his father, Gonçalo Martins Abreu, Afonso I had the castle built and appointed him its first commander.

Features

Constructed of stone ashlar, the square tower measures 10 meters on a side and 35 meters high. Its walls are three meters thick. It has a single entrance on the north facade about 6 meters above the ground, surmounted with the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Portugal.

Torre of Lapela

O Castelo de Monção, no Minho, localiza-se na freguesia, vila e concelho de Monção, distrito de Viana do Castelo, em Portugal.

Erguido na margem esquerda, a jusante de Melgaço, tinha como função primitiva defender neste trecho a passagem do rio Minho.

História

Antecedentes

Alguns autores sustentam que o primitivo sítio de Monção localiza-se numa elevação, a cerca de dois quilômetros a oeste, às margens do rio Minho, onde hoje existe a aldeia de Cortes ou Monção Velha. Trabalhos mais recentes não esclarecem essa possibilidade, antes confirmando que a povoação (e sua defesa) não se encontra referida nos documentos relativos ao reinado de D. Afonso Henriques (1112-1185), levantando a hipótese de que a primeira defesa da povoação remonte ao reinado de D. Sancho I (1185-1211), o que não encontra amparo em testemunhos materiais.

O castelo medieval

Sob o reinado de D. Afonso III (1248-1279), Monção figura nomeada como vila nas Inquirições de 1258. Por outro lado, o Carta de Foral, passado a 12 de Março de 1261) permite inferir que a povoação foi refundada ("...facio quandam populatianem in cauto de Maazedo e impono ei de novo nomen Monzon."). Uma vez mais, este texto permite inferir que a vila já estaria fortificada, ao referir os miles de Monçom, o que também é questionado por alguns estudiosos, sob o argumento da escassez demográfica da região à época.

Os que defendem o argumento da inexistência da fortificação sob D. Afonso III, aceitam ter sido D. Dinis (1279-1325) o responsável pela ereção do Castelo de Monção (1306), apoiados em Rui de Pina, que assim o afirmou em sua crónica. Por esta altura, a vila recebeu Carta de Feira e foram iniciadas as obras da Igreja Matriz. O desenvolvimento econômico e demográfico fez prosperar a povoação, de tal modo que, sob o reinado de D. Fernando (1367-1383), entrando este em guerra com Henrique II de Castela, as forças castelhanas invadiram o reino de Portugal, vindo a sitiar Monção (1369).

Com a morte de D. Fernando, ao se instaurar a crise de 1383-1385, os homens bons de Vila Nova de Cerveira, Caminha e Monção enviaram mensagens ao Condestável D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, declarando-se verdadeiros portugueses e entregando-lhe voluntariamente essas povoações e seus castelos. Em algum momento do século XV, provavelmente sob o reinado de D. João I (1385-1433), o castelo foi dotado de uma couraça envolvente.

Sob o reinado de D. Manuel I (1495-1521), a povoação e seu castelo encontram-se figurados por Duarte de Armas (Livro das Fortalezas, c. 1509).

Da Guerra da Restauração aos nossos dias

No contexto da Guerra da Restauração da independência portuguesa, tornou-se imperativa a modernização das defesas da vila, que então foi convertida em uma fortaleza de planta poligonal abaluartada. Iniciadas em 1656, com projeto do engenheiro militar francês Miguel de L'Ècole, sob a direção do mestre João Alves do Rego, estas defesas, adaptadas aos tiros da artilharia, resistiram denodadamente de Outubro de 1658 a 7 de Fevereiro de 1659, quando a exaurida guarnição finalmente pediu a rendição.

Encontra-se classificado como Monumento Nacional por Decreto publicado em 23 de Outubro de 1910.

Características

O conjunto apresenta planta no formato circular, no estilo gótico, envolvendo a vila medieval. Nos muros rasgavam-se apenas duas portas, a principal defendida pela Torre de Menagem, abrindo-se para o terreiro onde era realizada a feira. A porta da traição, de menores dimensões, dava para zona ribeirinha.

A fortificação erguida no século XVII, embora erguida de raiz, integrou as muralhas medievais, reformulando-as, dado o crescimento da vila. Desse modo, foram erguidos nove baluartes e cinco portas, mantendo-se amplas áreas não edificadas, facilitando o movimento de tropas e de artilharia.

Castelo de Monção

With fortification origins from the 13th century at the time of King Sancho I of Portugal, Valença had strategic importance in the relationship between Minho and Galicia. The medieval fortifications still perceptible date from 1262, built by order of King Alfonso III of Portugal, covering the entire village. Later the fort was complemented with barbicans and a breastplate, which reveals the military importance of the transition to the time of the gunpowder war.

Already in the 17th century and due to the fact that Valença was very exposed to Spanish attacks, one of the greatest military achievements in history was undertaken under the design of Miguel de l'Escole, a military engineer who developed other fortifications along the Minho River. The works began in 1661 and were completed in 1713, already under the design of Architect Manuel Pinto de Vilalobos.

Valença now has a majestic network of bastions and connecting levels through moats and bridges. The fort is divided into two areas interconnected by the so-called Middle Gate. The northern area involves the medieval nucleus of the town and the southern area, with a purely military function, is called "Coroada” (Crowned). The whole set is defended by a complex network of bastions and ravelins that isolated it and allowed a large area of visibility and fire, thus constituting a "major work" in Portuguese military history.

The fort is part of a Inn which was inaugurated in 1962. It is planned that Valença will apply to become a World Heritage Site.

https://fortalezasdefronteira.turismodeportugal.pt

Praça-forte de Valença

The Castle of Melgaço is located in Vila parish, Melgaço municipality, Viana do Castelo district, in Portugal.

As the main defense of the crossing of the Alto Minho river to Galicia, it constitutes the most northern sentry point in Portugal from the twelfth century.

History

Medieval era

The construction of the castle dates back to 1170 by order of the first King of Portugal Afonso Henriques (1112–1185). He granted a Foral charter to the town at the same time, encouraging the development of the town.

Afonso III (1248–1279) granted to the village in 1258 a second Foral Charter, promising privileges to the town.

In 1361 the traffic between Portugal and Galicia was required to pass through Melgaço demonstrating its importance at the time.

In the context of the 1383-1385 Portuguese succession crisis, the village and its castle followed the northern region of Portugal by expressing loyalty to Beatriz. It fell into Spanish hands but in early 1387, then governed by a Spanish mayor, the town suffered the harassment of the Portuguese troops under the command of John I (1385–1433), resisting their take over for nearly two months.

In 1492, Melgaço was one of only five places along the Spanish-Portuguese border where the Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain could enter Portugal. Still under the reign of King Manuel I, village defenses and its castle layout are figured in the Duarte de Armas (Book of Fortresses, c. 1509), made up of three towers and two gates.

Present day

It is classified as a National Monument by decree published on June 23, 1910, and the wall of the village been classified in the same way, with publication on February 19, 1926.

The intervention of the government, however, only came to be felt in the 1960s, keeping the construction characteristics of the set. Recently, with the development of the village's historic core recovery projects, the keep of the castle was reclassified as a museum center, exposing the testimonies obtained by archaeological research.

Architecture

The castle has plant in circular shape, unusual in the country, divided into three precincts. The walls, where they tear two doors are surmounted by prismatic battlements and reinforced by three towers, the main one being that is focused on the urban core, pentagonal section. The set is dominated by the keep. The keep has a square shaped plan, isolated in the center of the parade ground. Both she and the surrounding wall were fully rebuilt, inferring to its Romanesque feature only the design of this set: a solid square tower isolated in the center of the walled enclosure. The tower is divided internally into three floors, illuminated by some chinks. The crown is made by a shot in counter with battlements, now reclassified as lookout of the archaeological museum established in the tower dependencies. Regarding the doors, they are two: the main gate to the west, larger, go to the square of weapons, which opens a cistern, where he would find the commander's residence; and the betrayal door to the north, smaller. They remain part of the Barbican on the main door and towers that flanked one of the doors of the fence. Thanks to recent archaeological research, which laid bare significant stretches of gothic fence, we can now make the idea of the original design.

Castle of Melgaço

O Forte de São Francisco de Lovelhe, também denominado como Forte de Azevedo ou simplesmente Forte de Lovelhe, localiza-se na Freguesia de Lovelhe, Concelho de Vila Nova de Cerveira, Distrito de Viana do Castelo, em Portugal.

História

Da Fundação ao século XVIII

A sua construção data dos inícios da Guerra da Restauração, tendo sido integrado na linha defensiva do Minho, que guarnecia a margem esquerda do rio Minho e parte do litoral atlântico português adjacente à sua desembocadura. Iniciadas em 1642, as obras de edificação foram dirigidas pelo Mestre-de-Campo General D. Francisco de Azevedo e Ataíde (Porto, 1616 - Lisboa, 13.02.1669), tendo ficado concluídas apenas no ano de 1663.

Estrategicamente posicionado a muito curta distância do rio, num ponto onde este poderia ser passado a vau, contava com um número variável de peças de artilharia e comunicava visualmente com a Atalaia de Lovelhe, cruzando fogos de artilharia com ela e também com o vizinho castelo de Vila Nova de Cerveira. Apesar de ser considerado de mais fácil e vantajosa defesa do que o velho castelo medieval da vila, o Forte de Lovelhe viria a ter um historial de utilização militar bastante irregular, quase intermitente, com longos períodos de semiabandono, alternados por períodos de actividade em que esteve activo, municiado e guarnecido. Assim, e após algumas décadas desactivado, o forte seria artilhado pela segunda vez na sua história em 1704, no contexto da intervenção portuguesa na Guerra da Sucessão Espanhola (1701-1714), sem que se tivessem registado quaisquer acções militares de vulto. O forte encontrava-se novamente desguarnecido em meados do século XVIII sendo que, em 1758, a Vedoria de Viana do Castelo o tinha arrendado e parcialmente em ruínas. Após algumas obras de reparação, como o reforço das muralhas e a reparação dos telhados dos quartéis e paióis, surge em 1776 guarnecido por uma dezena de soldados e, no ano seguinte, refere-se a existência no forte de sete peças de artilharia, de vários calibres.

Da Guerra Peninsular aos nossos dias

No ano de 1797 o Marechal-de-Campo D. Rodrigo de Lencastre mandou reconstruir o forte, que estaria virtualmente devoluto desde que, em 1792, o príncipe-regente Dom João, em nome da rainha D. Maria I, fizera publicar um diploma legal proibindo a existência ou construção de quaisquer habitações, hortas ou cultivos no interior dos fossos, ou sobre quaisquer obras de fortificação da província do Minho.

O forte viria a ter a sua única acção militar de grande envergadura no ano de 1809, durante a Segunda Invasão Francesa. O forte estava guarnecido, mas muito mal artilhado, tendo apenas uma antiga peça de artilharia espanhola. Do lado espanhol da fronteira, o exército napoleónico do general Soult já havia tentado atravessar o rio Minho junto a Caminha. A 13 de Fevereiro, após se concentrarem diante de Cerveira, algumas forças francesas cruzam o rio a vau. Estando ausente o governador do forte, Sargento-mor José Ferreira Cardoso de Magalhães, terá sido a sua esposa, D. Ana do Nascimento Ferreira de Magalhães, vulgo "a Resina", que deu ordem de fogo ao canhão. Com tanta felicidade o fez que a primeira bala foi estilhaçar-se no solar onde se encontrava Franceschi, comandante da Infantaria Ligeira napoleónica. De seguida, fez-se pontaria a umas barcas que os franceses dirigiam rio abaixo para usar na travessia. O fogo certeiro do canhão de Lovelhe logrou pôr ao fundo duas ou três tendo o povo em armas, incitado pela mesma senhora, acorrido à margem para repelir os naufragados franceses. Como represália por este singular episódio militar, assim que as tropas francesas conseguiram penetrar em território português, uma força militar de infantaria comandada por um sargento investiu sobre o forte para o tomar e destruir, coisa que fizeram através do rebentamento propositado de um grande barril de pólvora colocado na capela castreja. A forte explosão deixou em ruínas os muros e taludes, arrasando virtualmente a capela, os quartéis e demais edificações interiores existentes.

Após este evento, o forte não voltou a ser recuperado. Em 1820 ainda foi utilizado como aquartelamento de veteranos, mas dez anos depois vivia no forte apenas um cabo. Estava abandonado em 1857, quando uma forte epidemia de febre-amarela motivou a sua utilização como lazareto. Pouco depois desta efémera utilização médica, caiu definitivamente em situação de abandono, tendo a população das imediações começado a furtar e aproveitar as pedras da porta-de-armas e da sua abóbada. Em 28 de março de 1928 e 18 de Abril de 1929, o Ministério da Guerra autorizou a venda das duas casas ainda existentes no interior do forte, ambas em ruínas, a compradores particulares. Ao longo dos anos seguintes, os restantes edifícios castrejos foram sendo arrendados a particulares, tendo o forte arruinado sido avaliado em 30.000$00 no ano de 1934. Tinha então 150.25 m² de área total e 222.90 m² de área construída. No dia 7 de Setembro de 1938, o Forte de São Francisco de Lovelhe foi finalmente abatido ao serviço militar, lavrando-se nesse mesmo dia o auto de cedência do mesmo ao Ministério das Finanças. Continuaria arrendado a particulares durante todo o século XX. Não obstante, foi classificado como Imóvel de Interesse Público, por Despacho de 12 de Outubro de 1979 assinado pelo então Secretário de Estado da Cultura do governo de Maria de Lurdes Pintassilgo.

Actualmente, a Comunidade Intermunicipal do Vale do Minho está a desenvolver, em colaboração com os municípios espanhóis vizinhos, o chamado Plano Director das Fortalezas Transfronteiriças do Vale do Minho, com vista a uma melhor valorização e divulgação do património histórico militar que compõe o sistema defensivo da fronteira, no qual se insere o Forte de Lovelhe.

A Estação Arqueológica de Lovelhe

Na década de 1990, tiveram lugar uma série de trabalhos de limpeza no interior, nos fossos e na envolvente ao forte, com o objectivo de o libertar do mato e do entulho que então havia acumulado. A ocasião foi aproveitada para se levarem a cabo sondagens arqueológicas em vários pontos da fortificação. O objectivo destes trabalhos foi determinar a eventual existência de estruturas militares de cronologias anteriores à sua construção e permitir a realização de alguns trabalhos de recuperação e consolidação das muralhas.

Desde então que o forte e a sua envolvente se constituem num ponto de interesse arqueológico, tão relevante que motivou uma revisão da classificação do forte que, por diploma de 3 de Outubro de 2018, foi re-classificado como Sítio de Interesse Público numa classificação de conjunto designada de Conjunto do Forte de São Francisco de Lovelhe e Estação Arqueológica de Lovelhe.

Forte de São Francisco de Lovelhe

The Castle of Vila Nova de Cerveira (Portuguese: Castelo de Vila Nova de Cerveira) is a medieval castle located in the civil parish of Vila Nova de Cerveira e Lovelhe, in the municipality of Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portuguese Viana do Castelo.

History

In the 13th century, the castle was included as part of the nuptial dowry of D. Mécia, wife of King D. Sancho II. It was also referred to in 1229 in a document referencing the village of Elvas, naming the nobles who signed the charter; Pedro Novães, the tenens of the castle of Cerveira was identified, suggesting that the castle was merely a defensive tower.

During the 1258 Inquirições (Inquiries) noted the obligations of the residents of Cerveira and its surrounding parishes. Carlos Alberto Ferreira de Almeida indicated that the castle of Cerveira, was already known in the 13th century as the vila nova (new town), owing to the original Cerveira being situated in the mountains (possibly over the hilltop of Espírito Santo, in Penafiel, parish of Roboreda), or in Cornes.

In 1320, King D. Dinis ordered that the settlement be colonized. To this end, the King issued a foral (charter), with one-third of the supported payments be used for the conservation of the castle. The courtyard, limited by the walls was too small for the 100 homes that King D. Dinis expected to settlement the village; ultimately, he accepted the construction of a settlement that was constructed outside the walls. The design if Duarte d'Armas, in his Livro das Fortalezas, indicates that at the beginning of the 16th century, the barrio outside the walls was more complete then those in the interior, including two religious buildings.

Following the outbreak of the Portuguese succession crisis, the castle alcalde and village remained loyal to Castile. In the spring of 1385, the Constable Nuno Alvares Pereira, after conquering the Castle of Neiva began a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela and stopped to rest in Vila Nova de Cerveira for the night.

Between the 14th and 15th century, the barbican was constructed under the reigns of King D. Fernando or King D. João I. King D. Afonso V (1438-1481) rewarded the exploits of D. Leonel de Lima, during the north Africa campaign by bestowing on him the title of 1st Viscount of Vila Nova de Cerveira (1476), and giving his possession of the lands of the village. Their successor, King D. Manuel reissued the orders to renovate the castle.

The construction of the 16th century fortress, resulted from the fear of Spanish threats from across the border during the Restoration Wars, and was included in a line of defenses along the Minho River and Atlantic coast. On 25 September 1643, forces of Cerveira resisted attacks by troops loyal to King Philip IV of Spain, with the regions defenses organized by Governor Manuel de Lima e Abreu. Following these events, in 1650, the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Ajuda was constructed over the barbican. With the continued need to defend the territory, the 7th Viscount of Vila Nova de Cerveira ordered that the settlement be circled with walls, bartizans and four interior bastions (São Miguel, Espírito Santo, Conceição and Almas). In addition a half bastian and three smaller redoubts were established along the river. The courtyard had three gates: the Campanha Gate, the Church Gate, Nova Gate and Rio Gate. These public works were complete in 1667, under the direction of Field Marshall Francisco Azevedo, supported with the royal taxation on water and fife from the settlers.

In 1718, Manuel Pinto Vilalobos measured and evaluated the lands in the interior of the fortification, for the purpose of sale in public competition.

But, by 1742, the batteries received a new piece, in order to dominate the Fort of S. Lourenço de Gaião.

In 1809, with the defense organized by the aged Colonel Gonçalo Coelho de Araújo (he was 77 years old at the time), the military square resisted Napoleon's Second Invasion during the Second Invasion Peninsular Wars, under the command of Nicolau Jean de Dieu Soult. They were successful in impeding their crossing the river.

The growth in the local economy and need to support the growing population meant that the keep tower was demolished in 1844, and the following year the Afonsino tower, were partially destroyed to build other structures. Between 1845 and 1846, the wall's gates began to slowly be destroyed. With this slow deterioration, the castle slowly lost its importance, resulting in the 1875 authorization to demolish the fortress. The earliest attempt to recover importance of the castle began in 1905, with work done to repair wall cracks.

The DGEMN Direcção Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (Directorate General for Buildings and National Monuments) began work in 1969 on consolidating and treating the diverse walls, and work was planned in 1977 to continue the consolidation. But, between 1977 and 1982, the fortifications and buildings were adapted for the establishment of the hostel. On 6 September 1982, the Pousada de D. Dinis was inaugurated within the interior of the medieval castle. There were a series of projects to benefit these changes on the site, including repaving the battlements, installation of new kitchens, bar and laundry. A project to partially adapt the first and second residences for the installation of a central phone centre. Work continued to recuperate the ceilings and exterior landscaping, alter the laundry ventilation and roadways between 1982 and 1985.

Arcaheological excavations along the Rua Costa Brava along the medieval castle walls were undertaken in 2002.

In 2004, the castle was approved for the Plano Director das Fortalezas transfronteiriças do Vale do Minho (Minho Valley Transborder Fortress Directors Plan), under the Interreg III Program, which sought to inventory the built inventory, evaluate their state of conservation and determine strategies for preservation. The intent of the plan was to valorize, promote and determine the fort spaces in order to promote a cultural and tourist program for the margins of the Minho River.

On 22 September 2006, a public presentation of the Plano de Pormenor de Salvaguarda do Centro Histórico (Detail Plan for Safeguarding the Historic Centre), coordinated by members of the municipal council, architect Sandro Lopes and archaeologist Paula Ramalho.

Architecture

The castle is situated in an urban context, addorsed and distinct on the right bank of the Minho River, over a small portion of the wall, that extends along the border of the city. Its interiors are occupied by constructions adapted for their use as hostel, including its restaurant which is distinctly different then the surrounding classified structure.

The castle has an oval plan, formed with 8 rectangular towers and a line of walls, and integrated into the São Miguel bastion over the river and barbican oriented towards the town. Access to the rounded, barbican gate includes access to the rectangular body integrated with the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Ajuda. Below this space is the wall, creating an elbow. The frontispiece of the chapel has granite cornerstone, with rectangular pediment and a second floor doorway with interrupted frontispiece and varanda.

The barbican continues towards the east, with circling walls and angular extensions, then tower followed by visible wall. Entrance to the castle occurs a double gate: a wall between the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Ajuda and tower, surmounted by coat-of-arms and sections of a former balcony; the second is above the tower, through a double vain, surmounted by the coat-of-arms of Portugal. Between this tower and the Church of the Misericórdia is a latrine encircled by two cantilevers.

The interior courtyard is encircled by battlements accessed by stone staircases. The visible towers, some with, others without crowns are of different heights, with protruding parapets to the west. The bastion, framed with exterior stone, is accessible by a small "traitors" gate alongside a cistern. Among many of the buildings constructed inside the walls are the old residence of the governor, municipal seat, pillory, jail, barracks and storerooms, along with the Church of the Misericórida.