The first defensive fortifications date back from the period of Roman occupation. This primitive defense would have been increased in the following centuries, successively by Visigoths and Muslims.
Porto de Mos became a strategic point in the defense of Leiria and Coimbra during the Christian Reconquest of the Iberian peninsula. With the encouragement of the settlement under the reign of D. Sancho I (1185 - 1211), the town prospered, and its defense received important works of improvement.
The defensive structure of the castle was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1755 and, again, in 1909. It was classified as a National Monument in 1910.

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Castelo de Porto de Mós

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The Castle of Alcobaça (Portuguese: Castelo de Alcobaça) is a medieval castle in the civil parish of Alcobaça e Vestiaria, municipality of Alcobaça, in the Portuguese district of Leiria.

History

The Castle of Alcobaça is located at a hill about 70 meters high on the left bank of the Baça river. It was rebuilt on the ruins of former fortress by D. Afonso Henriques in 1147. The castle was damaged by the Moors in 1191–1195. In the XII-XIII century D.Sancho ordered to rebuild the castle for the monks of Alcobaça and the inhabitants of this area defending against future attacks. In 1369 the castle was reinforced with a barbican by the Abbot of Alcobaça D. Frei João de Ornellas and the fallen tower was rebuilt on the side of Monastery. The 1422 earthquake damaged the castle, so it was restored in 1424. The Menagem Tower (keep) was remade in 1450 by D. Frei Gonçalo Ferreira.

The castle was destructed by the 1755 earthquake and then again during the reign of D. Maria II in the XIX century. In 1952-1953 the wall of the castle facing the Monastery was reconstructed. The cleaning work of the castle and surrounding area, as well as works on the road finished in 1956 on the occasion of the visit of Queen Elizabeth.

The Castle of Alcobaça was also used as a prison. There are only its ruins remaining which has been classified by IGESPAR as a Property of Public Interest since 1978.

Castle of Alcobaça

The Castle of Leiria (Portuguese: Castelo de Leiria) is a medieval castle in the civil parish of Leiria, Pousos, Barreira e Cortes, municipality of Leiria, district of Leiria.

History

The castle of Leiria was built by D. Afonso Henriques for the purpose of creating a line of defense against the Arabs. In 1142 he reinforced the defense of the castle after regaining Leiria. D. Sancho I ordered erection of the walls of the castle in 1195. In 1324 D. Dinis ordered construction of the keep (Tower of Menagem) which was completed only during the reign of D. Afonso IV. In the early 16th century D. Manuel ordered a sacristy to be built between the main chapel and the bell tower.

Throughout the centuries the castle gradually lost its military value. It was badly damaged during the French invasion. At the end of the 19th century restoration of the castle started in 1915 by the initiative of Liga dos Amigos do Castelo. The restoration project was directed by Ernesto Korrodi between 1921 and 1933, and then by Baltazar de Vastro.

The castle hosted important events as the meetings of the first courts called by D. Afonso III; became the residence of D. Denis and Queen Elizabeth; transformed into a meeting venue for the new court in the reign of D. Ferdinand I and the marriage of D. João I’s son D. Afonso was celebrated in this castle as well.

It has been listed as a National monument since 1910.

The castle was damaged by the 1969 earthquake.

Architecture

The present configuration of the castle of Leiria was influenced by the 4 major construction periods: the 12th century’s Romanesque, the 14th century’s Gothic Dionysus, the early 15th century’s Gothic Johannine and the restoration trends of late 19th and early 20th century.

The shape of the castle is irregular polygonal with solid walls and towers. Paços Reais (Royal Palace), the Church of Nossa Senhora da Pena, Menagem Tower, the former Collegiate space, and medieval barns are located inside the complex. The castle has 4 floors; the lower two floors are hardly seen from outside and are intended for domestic services. There is a large loggia with eight arches of twin capitals. The loggia has the panorama over the city and was used as a place for leisure and socializing. The loggia is accessed through a room called Royal Hall or Noble Hall which has a total area of 130 square meters used for receptions by monarchs.

Stonemasonry, brick and concrete were used in the construction.

Castle of Leiria

Ourém Castle is one of Portugal’s most innovative 15th century military architectural works. Commissioned by the Count of Ourém, the grandson of D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, the castle has a compact structure with modern active defensive system, including two large pentagonal towers that served as bulwarks and offered greater resistance to enemy fire.

There is a palatial residence located behind the towers that served as the Counts’ dwelling. It has the form of a wide tower connected to the bulwarks.

On top of the hill, slightly set back from the palace and the castle, is the primitive 12th century castle of “Abdegas”, that bears the ancient name of this settlement.


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Castelo de Ourém

The Castle of Alcanede (Portuguese: Castelo de Alcanede), is a Portuguese medieval castle in civil parish of Alcanede, in the municipality of Santarém, in the Ribatejo district of Santarém.

History

Taken by the Romans in 49 B.C. the castro structure was expanded and successively occupied by Alans and Moors.

In 1091, the settlement was conquered by forces loyal to Count D. Henrique.

In the course of political expansion and dominion, it was reconquered in the 12th century by D. Afonso Henriques who issued a foral (charter) for new settlers. Around 1163, though, it was donated to Gonçalo Mendes de Sousa, alcalde, who reconstructed the structure at his own cost.

In 1187, it was donated to the Order of the Knights Templar by King D. Sancho I.

This transfer was confirmed in a letter in 1300 by King D. Dinis. But, within a few years (1318) its title was transferred to the Order of Aviz. During this period the important construction of the keep tower, with its crown of merlons, was undertaken.

In 1370, during the reign of King D. Ferdinand, the men of Alcanede were free to participate in the work on the castle of Santarém, as long as they were able to maintain the walls in Alcanede.

A new foral was issued in 1514 by King D. Manuel, marking a period of prosperity for the town. In addition to the foral, the King also paid for part of the work on the castle and the parochial church, even as the extent of the interventions are largely unknown.

On 28 February 1531, the structure was totally destroyed during the course of an earthquake that affected the entirety of the Portuguese Estremadura. Losing much of its military function, the strategic importance decreased and there was little interest by the Crown or Order of Aviz to reconstruct the castle.

In 1936 the structure was discovered in a state of almost complete ruin, existing only "a few curtain walls in continuous disaggregation and two corners".

Work on recuperating and restoring the structure began in 1941 following the same vestiges that existed. Between 1944 and 1949 progress continued on repairing the walls, towers and barbican, including construction of a staircase and the vaulted ceiling in the tower.  In 1954 new public works were undertake to consolidate the fortification, which were repeated in 1973, with repairs in the parapets of the walls.

As part of a heritage designation, on 1 June 1992, the property was transferred to the possession of the Instituto Português do Património Arquitetónico (Portuguese Institute for Architectural Patrimony) by decree 106F/92 (Diário da Repúblic, Série 1A, 126). On 20 December 2007, its title was transferred to the regional Direção Regional da Cultura de Lisboa e Vale do Tejo (Regional Directorate for Culture for Lisbon and Tagus Valley), under dispatch 1130/2007 (Diário da Repúblic, Série 2, 245), confirmed in a similar dispatch on 24 August 2009.

Architecture

The castle is situated in a rural position, isolated at the top of a hilltop, encircled by deep vegetation, its principal structures oriented towards the east.

Castle of Alcanede

The Fort of São Miguel Arcanjo (St. Michael the Archangel) is situated in Nazaré, Leiria District, Portugal. It was first constructed in 1577 but has undergone remodeling and expansion on several occasions since then. The fort is a popular tourist site, particularly because of its proximity to a surfing area famous for the height of its waves. It now functions as both a lighthouse and a museum, which is devoted in part to surfing.

History

The Fort of São Miguel Arcanjo is built on cliffs, surrounded by the sea to the north, west and south. A primitive fort was initially constructed in 1577 under the orders of King Sebastian I of Portugal, with the intention of defending the fishing, shipbuilding and wood trading activities of Nazaré from attacks by Algerian, Moroccan, Dutch and Norman pirates. By 1595 it was equipped with four pieces of artillery. Further work was carried out between 1639 and 1641, when the number of artillery pieces was increased to six. The fort was again upgraded in 1644, under the instructions of King John IV, at which time it acquired its current shape and was given its name. It has an irregular plan, which was necessary to adapt it to the outline of the promontory on which it is built. On the portal above the entrance, King John ordered a limestone image of St. Michael the Archangel to be placed, with the caption "EL REY DOM JUAN-1644".

During the French invasion of Portugal it was occupied in 1807 or 1808 by a detachment of 50 men, after its artillery pieces had been removed to the Citadel of Cascais to provide protection for Lisbon. The French were imprisoned by the local inhabitants after a group of students succeeded in persuading the invaders to surrender, convincing them that the Portuguese had received reinforcements. At the same time people from Nazaré travelled south by boat to Cascais in search of armaments, which enabled them to repel the French reinforcements that were heading from Peniche to the north, to aid the French garrison. The fort became a landmark of popular revolt but, later, the French invaders returned to the area, killing inhabitants and burning houses and boats in reprisal.

In 1831 the fort housed a military detachment, supported by two 12-gauge pieces, but these were transferred to Peniche in 1833. The fort was the site of skirmishes in the Liberal Wars, or Portuguese Civil War, involving fights between supporters of the two royal brothers, King Pedro IV and King Miguel I. After the departure of D. Miguel I to exile, in July 1834, the stone image of St. Michael the Archangel at the fort was attacked by the supporters of Pedro and thrown down the walls to the beach. Although subsequently restored to its original position, it remains unrepaired. After this the fort became privately owned until it was expropriated by the state in 1902.

Lighthouse

In 1903 a lighthouse and a house for the lighthouse keeper were installed, primarily to assist local fishermen. The lighthouse began operations on December 1, 1903. It now consists of a lantern painted red with a height of 8 metres, having a white light and a range of 14 nautical miles, at an altitude of 50 metres above sea level. There is also a foghorn. In 1907 works of restoration of the walls were carried out and further work on the walls was begun in 1941. Work to conserve the main gate and waterproof the terrace was done in 1977. Drainage work was carried out in 2005-06. Although currently well preserved, the structure is threatened with collapse due to the advanced erosion of the cliffs on the south side.

Museum

The museum area of the fort has been open to the public since 2014. It contains an exhibition regarding the German submarine U-963, which was scuttled off Nazaré on 20 May 1945. There is also an Interpretation Centre, which describes the impact of the Nazaré Canyon just off the coast of Nazaré, which is believed to be the largest canyon in Europe, having a maximum depth of at least 5,000 metres, and is the cause of the high waves that make Nazaré a popular surfing destination.