A Torre do Cimo da Vila, também referida como Torre de Barcelos, Postigo da Muralha, Torre da Porta, Torre da Porta Nova ou Torre da Cadeia, localiza-se na freguesia de Barcelos, cidade e concelho de mesmo nome, distrito de Braga, em Portugal.

História

Constitui-se na antiga torre de menagem da povoação, sendo a única remanescente das três torres da primitiva muralha, cujas portas davam acesso ao interior da povoação. Esta torre foi edificada no século XV por determinação do 8º conde de Barcelos, e serviu inicialmente de residência ao alcaide.

Encontra-se classificada como Monumento Nacional pelo Decreto nº 11.454, publicado em 19 de Fevereiro de 1926.

Foi ocupada desde o final do século XVII até 1932, por uma cadeia, que substituiu a antiga prisão do Tronco. Posteriormente, serviu como armazém do Museu Arqueológico do Alcaide de Faria que tem como acervo objectos encontrados na Citânia da Franqueira ou Castro de Faria e nas ruínas do Castelo de Faria.

Atualmente a torre alberga o Centro de Artesanato de Barcelos.

Características

A torre apresenta planta quadrangular, com paredes formadas por enormes pedras de granito, que, no lado Norte, chegam a ter dois metros de espessura.

Torre do Cimo da Vila

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A Muralha medieval de Barcelos, da qual nos restou pequenas porções de muralha estando estas inseridas entre casas no centro histórico da cidade e a chamada Torre de Cimo de Vila (localmente mais conhecido como Torre da Porta Nova) localiza-se mo extremo nordeste da cidade medieval da cidade de Barcelos.

A importância deste torre é de grande, pois esta era um ponto de passagem obrigatório para quem fazia o trajeto norte-sul, a construção de uma ponte de pedra na primeira metade do século XIV aumentou a prosperidade da vila de Barcelos, que não conheceu um castelo propriamente dito.

História
Antecedentes
Embora a primitiva ocupação humana do local, sobranceiro ao rio Cávado, seja desconhecida, ela é geralmente atribuída ao contexto da Invasão romana da Península Ibérica, não tendo ficado alheia às invasões posteriores, de Visigodos e de Muçulmanos.

A cerca medieval
À época da Reconquista cristã da península, a povoação foi conquistada pelos primeiros reis de Leão.

Encontra-se mencionada ao tempo do rei D. Afonso Henriques (1112-1185) como "minha vila", em diploma sem data, atribuível a um período entre 1156 e 1169, pelo qual o soberano concedeu aos seus moradores, presentes ou futuros, foral análogo ao de Braga. Posteriormente, nas Inquirições de 1220 e de 1226, é designada como "Santa Maria de Barcelos", pertencendo ao julgado de Neiva.

A povoação cresceu a ponto de, em 1298, D. Dinis (1279-1325) nela instituir a sede de um condado, primeiro condado em Portugal, sendo que desde o 1º conde de Barcelos, D. João Afonso de Meneses, se manteve nesta família até ao tempo do 6º conde, também D. João Afonso, o qual, durante a crise de 1383-1385, seguiu o partido da Infanta D. Beatriz e de seu marido, João I de Castela, contra o partido do Mestre de Avis, vindo a falecer na batalha de Aljubarrota. O novo soberano, agraciou com esse título o Condestável D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, que, mais tarde, o transferiu para o genro, D. Afonso, filho bastardo de D. João I, 8º conde de Barcelos, e posteriormente o 1º duque de Bragança. Este, mudando-se de Chaves para Barcelos, iniciou, por volta de 1412, a edificação do Palácio dos Duques com a modificação da cerca da povoação (em progresso anteriormente a 1406) e a Igreja Matriz.

Esta cerca seria, em linhas gerais, a mesma figurada por Duarte de Armas (Livro das Fortalezas, c. 1509). 

Do terramoto de 1755 aos nossos dias

O terramoto de 1755 que causou estragos na vila e nas defesas, causou a destruição do Palácio dos Duques de Bragança (hoje, um museu a céu aberto). Posteriormente, à semelhança do que se registrou em outros centros urbanos, a expansão da malha urbana resultou na demolição da antiga cerca medieval, tendo chegado aos nossos dias apenas uma torre, a norte (também conhecida como Torre de Barcelos ou Postigo da Muralha), um troço da muralha a leste e a sul e vestígios de dois postigos. O conjunto, bem preservado, está classificado como Monumento Nacional por Decreto publicado desde 19 de Fevereiro de 1926.

Características

A cerca da vila era constituída por uma muralha de planta ovalada, ligeiramente reintrante na face norte. Iniciada e terminada na ponte, quatro torres de planta quadrangular protegiam quatro portas, determinando o acesso das principais vias da vila às principais estradas do território.

O eixo viário mais importante era o do sul, acedendo a ponte defendido pela chamada Torre da Porta da Ponte, de planta quadrangular e que, primitivamente, se dividia em quatro pavimentos. Foi neste setor que se fez erguer o palácio (paço condal) que, em torno de 1480, o conde D. Fernando fez ligar à ponte por meio de uma torre de dois pavimentos. 

Muralha de Barcelos

Anyone entering Barcelos via the bridge over the River Cávado will immediately see a garden where the ruins of the former Palace of the Counts of Barcelos bear witness to the city´s mediaeval past.
This is what remains of an early 15th-century construction, commissioned by D. Afonso, the eighth Count of Barcelos and the first Duke of Bragança, and it is one of the city´s most emblematic monuments.
Having the appearance of both a palace and castle, it was in its time a noble building that demonstrated the increasing wealth and power of its owner, the bastard son of D. João I. It used to stand out quite markedly in the urban landscape with its tall tubular chimneys, of which only one now remains, and the tower, which once protected the bridge over the river but has also since disappeared.
It continued to be used as the residence of the Counts until the 17th century, when it began to fall into ruins, a process that was accelerated by the 1755 earthquake. What has remained has very appropriately been used to house an open-air Archeological Museum.
Here you will find pieces that testify o the region´s settlement since prehistoric times. Mediaeval sarcophagi, heraldic symbols, boundary stones of the House of Bragança, various architectural features from dismantled churches and monasteries and sculpted blazons from former noble houses that have since disappeared are all to be found in the archaeological collection on exhibition here.
Special attention is drawn to the Cruzeiro do Senhor do Galo, a cross paying tribute to the legend of the Barcelos Cock, originating from Barcelinhos (one of the parishes of Barcelos, situated on the other side of the river), dating from the beginning of the 18th century and telling us the ancient legend of the city's most emblematic feature in low-relief carvings.
https://www.visitportugal.com/

Palace of the Counts of Barcelos

The Castle of Faria (Portuguese: Castelo de Faria) is a castle in the northern Portuguese civil parish of Gilmonde, municipality of Barcelos, in the Cávado.

History

Early History

The site has been occupied by a long human presence beginning in the 3rd or 2nd millennium BCE. There are vestiges of the late Bronze Age settlement, that continued until the late Roman era.

In the Middle Ages, buildings at the top of the hill were adapted as a castle for the Terra de Faria, a period of notable bellicose and symbolic importance in the Entre-Douro-e-Minho, during the early Middle Ages. Faria's form corresponds to the 9th-10th-century structure, first referenced in 1099, the year that the fortress was given to Soeiro Mendes da Maia. It is evident from this nobleman's name, the importance of the castle to the foundations of the Portuguese nobility, that dominated the politics of the county of Portucale. This importance was confirmed during the 12th century, from a series of documents and from the prestige of some nobles that were responsible for the fortification, such as Ermígio Riba Douro, Mem de Riba Vizela or Garcia de Sousa.

Medieval Era

The hilltop of the powerful Terra de Faria, has been associated with a local myth of its role in the revolt of the counts of Portucale against Theresa, Countess of Portugal, who directed the Battle of São Mamede (1128) and ascension to the throne of Afonso Henriques. Before these events, many fortresses swore loyalty to the future King, in opposition to Theresa and her lover Fernando Pérez de Traba. Among these were Neiva (along the north of the Douro) and Santa Maria da Feira (along the southern extension), creating a revolution that was truly "national" in scope. These castles passed from various noblemen's hands in the chronicle of Galician-Portuguese and Spanish-Portuguese conflict; for some time, there were doubts whether the castle referred to as Faria, was not actually Santa Maria da Feira. After studies by Mattoso, Krus and Andrade (1989), the consensual opinion was that the claims by A. de Almeida Fernandes (1991) had never been refuted.

It was, along with the Castle of Neiva, one of the first fortifications to be seized by the Infante Afonso Henriques in his revolt against his mother, Theresa in 1128.

It was site of the 1373 episode between Nuno Gonçalves da Faria and his battles with the Kingdom of Castile. Nuno Gonçalves the alcalde of the castle was imprisoned by the Castilians in 1373, and taken by force to the castle in order to force his son to surrender. But his son would not yield, and his father was killed in front of the castle.

In 1400, King John I donated the castle to D. Gonçalo Telles de Meneses, who ordered the erection of his Fleur-de-lis coat-of-arms (which became the emblem of the Counts of Faria). But, in the 15th century, with rise to the throne of the Avis dynasty, the castle began to decline and slowly lost its importance. Yet, the castle still retains the honor of the most comprehensive treasurer of nationalist artifacts from Middle Ages: belt buckles, helts, and swords, chain-mail and armaments were salvaged from the ruined fortress. Also from the site was a batch of coins from the reign of King Ferdinand,  while doubt still plagues the Tomb of Faria, from excavations by Carla Varela Fernandes, in 2001-2002, and Carlos Alberto Ferreira de Almeida (1990), which had been brought from the castle.

During its ruin, in the 16th century, the stones of the castle were used in the construction of the Convent of Bom Jesus do Monte in Franqueira.

Republican Era

Archaeological excavations were undertaken in 1929, by the group Alcaides de Faria, and then, repeated between 1936 and 1940. The group Alcaides de Faria continue to hold the artifacts excavated during the investigation of the 1930s. Reconstruction of the walls and tower keep began in 1939, that included closing hashes in the structure, cleaning of the cornices, and the removal of materials and debris from the works.

Cleaning projects, oriented by the Campo Arqueológico da Universidade de Braga were initiated in 1978.

Between 1981 and 1985, Brochado de Almeida and Teresa Soeiro, from the Faculty of Letters, at the University of Porto undertook new excavations on the site, in order to realize a comprehensive understanding of the site.

Architecture

The castle is situated in a rural environment, located on a steep and rocky hillside on the northwestern flank of the Monte da Franqueira, covered in dense pines, in a commanding position over the Cávado River.

Faria has three lines of walls that involved the settlement, that clearly identify a castro origin from the Iron Age. The outer wall, towards the east, and before the opening of the road linking Franqueira to the parish of Milhazes, had an extensive trench. Between this wall and the next, interior wall, is, to the east, are remnants of 10 castro-era buildings, some circular and oval, with some including vestibule and fireplace. To the east, on either side of the second wall, are vestiges of circular and rectangular buildings. In the interior of the superior courtyard, is the tower keep of the medieval castle, in a rectangular plan, with the remnants of the walls of the "palace of the alcalde". Between this and the lateral wall, but lower, is a slope that sustain the lands of the upper terrace.

Castle of Faria

O Forte de São João Baptista de Esposende também referido como Castelo de São João Baptista e Forte de Esposende, localiza-se na freguesia das Marinhas, cidade e concelho de Esposende, no distrito de Braga, em Portugal.

Forte de marinha, tinha originalmente a função de guarnecer a foz do rio Cávado.

História

Edificado entre 1699 e 1704, sob o reinado de Pedro II de Portugal (1667-1706), apresentava uma planta no formato estrelado irregular, com um baluarte em cada vértice, e respectiva guarita de planta hexagonal. Em seu terrapleno erguiam-se as edificações de serviço, com destaque para uma capela do século XVIII.

Com a implantação do farolim sofreu alguns cortes na sua estrutura, passando a apresentar planta retangular com apenas dois baluartes e respectiva guarita em cada um dos seus ângulos.

Integra no seu conjunto quatro edifícios de planta retangular e quadrangular, com coberturas de quatro águas, de um piso em 2019 em ruínas.

No lado sudoeste ergue-se o farol, de torre cilíndrica em ferro, sobre uma base circular de cimento, com lanterna e varandim de serviço, pintado de vermelho. Adossado ao farol, encontra-se um edifício de planta retangular, de dois pisos pintado de amarelo, para os faroleiros.

Encontra-se classificado como Imóvel de Interesse Público desde 1982.



Forte de São João Baptista de Esposende

Established since the late eighteenth century in Campo das Hortas, Casa Grande is one of the many marks of power that, over time, the deans of the Cathedral of Braga impressed the city. It was its proponent D. António Alexandre da Cunha Reis da Mota Godinho who, for such, acquired this property in Campo das Hortas, where he built the property we still know today and was considered, at the time, as one of the most significant constructions in the area. extramurals of Braga.
https://minhosguest.com/

Casa Grande

The Residence of Biscainhos (Portuguese: Casa dos Biscainhos/Museu dos Biscainhos), is a former-signeurial residence located in civil parish of Braga (Maximinos, Sé e Cividade), in the municipality of Braga, in northern Portuguese district of Braga.
History
In 1665, Maria da Silva e Sousa married Dr. Constantino Ribeiro do Lago (1619-1686), who was one of the most important civil personalities in Braga. He was a Knight in the Order of Christ, alcalde of Ervededo, Overseer and Judge of Braga, Chancellor of Relação, attorney-general of Mitra, represented the city in the 1667 Cortes in Lisbon. Lago ordered the construction of a residence, that was likely constructed by Basque artisans from the province of Biscay, then working in the cathedral of Braga, resulting in its name, Biscainhos. The work was concluded in 1699 by his son, Diogo de Sousa da Silva, who was also a knight in the Order of Christ.
In the 18th century, over three generations, the residence was passed-on through the matrilineal descendant of the family.
On 26 November 1712, Francisco Pereira da Silva (who was the Dean of the Cathedral of Braga) signed a contract with mason Manuel Fernandes da Silva, to expand the residence along Rua dos Biscaínhos, the second executed to that effect. In the course of this work, a ceiling painting in the main hall was executed by painter Manuel Furtado de Mendonça (in 1724), and later, azulejo tile, which came from fabricators in Coimbra.
In the intervening years it passed-into the possession of various illustrious owners. António Pereira Pinto de Eça, was administrator of the second founding of Bertiandos. João Pereira Forjaz Coutinho, was the son of the Secretário dos Negócios Estrangeiros, da Guerra e da Marinha (Secretary for International Affairs, War and the Army). Damião Pereira da Silva de Sousa e Menezes (1764-1835) was administrator of the first founding of Bertiandos. Gonçalo Pereira da Silva de Sousa e Menezes (1797-1856), Count of Bertiandos, member of the council of Queen D. Maria II, Peer of the Kingdom, Civil Governor of Braga and attorney of the 1928 Cortes. His daughter, Joana Maria do Rosário Francisca Sales Pereira da Silva de Sousa e Menezes (1818-1874), second Countess of Bertiandos, lading-in-waiting of Queens D. Estefânia and D. Maria. Her nephew, Gaspar Lobo Machado do Amaral Cardoso de Menezes, 3rd Viscount of Paço de Nespereira was the last member of the family to be owner of the Residence of Biscainhos.
The dominant period of its history occurred in the 18th century, resulting in exquisite Baroque interiors that included azulejos, ceilings with beautiful relief stucco work and paintings of the period. It was also framed by the magnificent gardens.
In 1963, the building was acquired by the District Junta from the Viscount of Paço de Nespereira, in order to install a museum, with work initiated under the responsibility of Alberto da Silva Bessa. On 11 February 1978, the Museum of the Biscaínhos was opened to the public. Due to the financial incapacity of the district junta, by decree 133/87 (18 March) the building was placed into the management of the IPPAR Instituto Português do Património Cultural (Portuguese Institute of Cultural Patrimony). During this time, the exterior facades were repaired and the paintings in the halls were repaired. But, on 9 August 1991, it was succeeded by its transfer into the management of the Instituto Português de Museus (Portuguese Institute of Museums), in decree 278/91 (Diário da República, Série-1A), and later (29 March 2007), to the Instituto dos Museus e Conservação, I.P. (Institute of Museums and Conservation) by decree 97/2007 (Diário da República, Série 1, 63).
Architecture
The building is located in an isolated context, situated outside the walls of the ancient city, in an area that was formerly rural, but absorbed into the city of Braga overtime, today inserted in what is considered the historic centre, addorsed to other constructions.
The large entranceway was structured in a way to permit carriages, and other vehicles, to enter by way of a covered patio, that served simultaneously as principal entrance and passage to the stables and gardens. The space is covered in grooved, non-slip, granite slabs and arch-shaped entrances with granite pilasters. In each of these pilasters there are small statues of a page or knight in costume from the 18th century.
The first floor of the main body of the house includes seven rooms. The azulejo hall is of particular interest: it is a large space, about 13 metres (43 ft) long, covered in azulejo tile, with its ceiling covered in painted wood, representing the history of the illustrious, and much venerated, Bracarense Beato Miguel de Carvalho. Next to this a smaller room, painted with mythological motifs, but from a later period. The set of rooms arranged along the garden, especially the dining room, is furnished and decorated with pieces dating from the beginning of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th. The romanticised scenes, painted on canvas, evoke themes about ruins and fantastical stories.
Garden
About a hectare in the rear of the house was surrounded by walls and divided into landscaped terraces. On the opposite wall is a polygonal structure of buttresses which, together with its crowning of battlements and sentries located at the angles, gives it an aspect of a 16th century fortress. Inside the bulwark's simulacrum is a small temple with dome and lantern, that contains sepulchral slabs dedicated to the former-gentry the masters of the house. The estate is divided into three terraces, rising slightly from the house to the west, separated by walls crowned with tile planting boxes.
The terraces are supported by decorative granite columns that are arranged along the walls and terraces of the estate. Of these terraces, the lower two were cultivated with vegetables and orchard, divided into blocks flanked by boxwood stools. The upper terrace is occupied by the garden itself and by a terrarium that separates it from the house. It occupies a rectangular terrace surrounded by a wall with tiled floor, decorated pyramids, urns and statuary statues, over the access gates, on the side viewpoints and at the angles, together with the raised beds. Inside the flower beds, are five bowls with water springs, similar to those introduced by Muslims during the 8th century, in the Rocaille style. Among the species in the garden are stands of tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) that were contemporary to the initial plantation.
The Museum
The museum exhibits, on a permanent basis, collections of decorative arts, integrated into the structure of the 18th century northern manorhouse. Its collection includes furniture, ceramics, European and Oriental porcelain, glassware, and examples of European and Portuguese watches and clocks.

The Residence of Biscainhos

The Archiepiscopal Palace of Braga (Portuguese: Paço Arquiepiscopal de Braga), is a Portuguese episcopal palace in civil parish of Braga (São José de São Lázaro e São João do Souto), in the municipality of the same name, in the northern district of Braga.
History
The Bishopric of Bracara was founded in 388 by Paternus, who became the first bishop of Braga. Officially, the archbishopric of Braga was founded in 1071, turning D. Pedro its first archbishop. Between 1096 and 1112, Count D. Henrique and Countess D. Teresa were the masters of Braga, leading in 1112 to a letter donating the city to the archbishops, instituting an ecclesiastical fiefdom, that would last to the 18th century. D. Maurício Burdino became the first ecclesiastical master of Braga. On 27 May 1128, Archbishop D. Pai Mendes received a confirmation letter to expand church lands, along with the privilege to mint coin, in recompense for his support of D. Afonso Henriques' revolt against his mother, the Countess D. Teresa.
In 1327, D. Afonso IV invaded the jurisdiction of then-archbishop D. Gonçalo Pereira, grandfather of D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, nominating public notaries to the crown for Braga. The archbishop excommunicated and expelled these notaries from the city. This antagonism resulting from these acts never diminished, and in 1341, when regal authorities entered the new city, the archbishop excommunicated them as well. As a consequence, the Corregedor Afonso Domingues took the castle and municipal hall, which were much later returned to the archbishop by D. Afonso IV. It was following this antagonism that the construction of the primitive archiepiscopal palace was begun, by Archbishop D. Gonçalo Pereira in 1336.
In 1361, D. João de Cardaillac, began to use the title of Arcebispo Primaz das Hespanhas (Archbishop Primate of the Hispanias). In 1402, the archbishop, D. Martinho Afonso de Miranda, ceded jurisdiction of the city to the Crown, in exchange for land rents and other concessions. At that time regulations obliged farmers and craftsmen to support the repair of the palace. Between 1422 and 1436, Archbishop D. Fernando da Guerra, great-grandson of D. Pedro I and D. Inês de Castro, ordered the reconstruction and expansion of the archiepiscopal structure, with Gil Vasques (carpenter), Fernão Martins (master of public works) and João Gonçalves (stonemason) steering the build. By 1439, the tower was concluded.
In 1472, D. Afonso V restored to the archbishop D. Luís Pires, the temporary jurisdiction of Braga and its surroundings to the archbishopric, allowing the archbishops to use the title Senhores de Braga e Primazes das Hespanhas (Masters of Braga and Primates of Hispania). Yet, this détente was short lived; D. Fernão de Lima, a noble who lived in Braga, began a war with the Archbishop, resulting in various bloody skirmishes between the two factions. By 1478, the Duke of Braganza put an end to the battles between the Archbishop and Lima.
Between 1505 and 1532, Archbishop D. Diogo de Sousa ordered changes at the palace, including the erection of the Fonte dos Castelos, in the Largo do Paço, which lead to the 1545-1549 construction of the northern wing, by Archbishop D. Manuel de Sousa and the 1594 construction of the western wing in the Largo do Paço, by Archbishop D. Agostinho de Jesus.
In 1709, Archbishop D. Rodrigo de Moura Teles expanded the building, altering the facades of wings oriented to the Largo do Paço and erecting a chapel. Between 1740 and 1750, the Archbishop of D. José de Bragança, further expanded the palace, ordering the construction of the Baroque wing oriented to the municipal square. This was further enriched between 1758 and 1789, when Archbishop D. Gaspar de Bragança expanded the library, with a number of notable documents.
In the second half of the 19th century, D. Miguel and his cortege installed himself in the archiepiscopal palace, spending his time in Braga at the bullfights in the municipal square. By 1834, the archbishops were confined to the wing overlooking the eastern edge of the Largo do Paço, as the prefecture of Minho is installed in the building, with much later the Civil Governor of Minho and offices of other services. On 15 April 1866, there was a violent fire that destroyed the Baroque wing oriented towards the municipal square, in addition to the contents of the D. Gaspar de Bragança's library, gutting his collection. By 1871, the ruins of the wing were demolished and the many of the stones collected.
By 1903, many of the facades exposed to the Largo do Paço were plastered and painted, with the walls constructed from wood and mortar. In 1911, the archbishops were expelled definitively from the episcopal palace, and the 8th infantry regiment, courts and municipal firefighters installed in the building. By order of the Comissão Central dos Bens Eclesiásticos (Central Commission for Ecclesiastical Property) on 18 November 1912, following the upheaval caused by the Republican revolution and schism with the church, many of the possessions of the clergy were sold off, including five fountains in the interior gardens (to the Brotherhood of Senhora do Parto for 10$00). On 28 March 1918, the building was ceded to the Ministério de Instrução Pública (Ministry of Public Instruction) and wing occupied by the archbishops was converted into the first Museum D. Diogo de Sousa. By 1920, Dr. Alberto Feio solicited the building to be adapted into a library and archive. The following year, though, the chapel of D. José Bragança was gutted by fire. The project to expand the episcopal palace was drawn-up in 1922 for the new library and archive, even as the west wing was stilled occupied by the regimental garrison.
In 1930, the episcopal palace underwent profound public works to transform and remodel the building for its use as public library of Braga and district archive. The intention to demolish the eight buildings that surrounded the interior patio was advanced and reconstruction of the Baroque wing. By 1934, the public works were concluded the Baroque wing, under the direction of engineer Almeida Freira, and on 1 December the Public Library of Braga was inaugurated. Throughout 1936 various storms caused damage to the building, resulting in reconstruction projects in the following year, under the direction of Jorge Viana and Fernandes de Sá, that only be concluded in 1939. But, in 1941, a major storm caused damage to the building.
In 1943, the process to expropriation of the eight buildings for the construction of an ethnographic museum was interrupted with the death of engineer Duarte Pacheco. António Maria dos Santos da Cunha proposed the removal of the grades that encircled the Largo do Paço this year, but the project would not advance. The facade oriented to Largo D. João Peculiar was being restored in 1944, while the following year a chapel was demolished along the northeast, in order to expand the Rua Eça de Queirós. This became part of the 1946 project to re-landscape the Largo do Paço, that included the suppression of the grade that encircled the parcel.
Between 1947 and 1948, the library was under the control of the Ministério da Educação Nacional (Ministry of National Education). In 1947, there was an intention by the municipality to demolish the municipal market, located in the middle of the Praça do Munícipio, in order to open-up the Baroque wing of the palace and Municipal Hall.
Architect Francisco de Azeredo presented a project to re-landscape the municipal square in 1948, even as the following year the medieval episcopal square was still in construction and the process of selecting new furniture continued to evolve.
On 18 September 1948, a dispatch was issue to define a Special Protection Zone, by the Direção-Geral de Urbanização (Directorate-General for Urbanization).
New projects to re-arrange the Municipal Square initiated in 1950, which were later expanded with the 1955 construction of the Garden of Santa Bárbara. Around 14 July, the landscapers were authorized to remove the grading along the Largo do Paço and opening up the square to Rua do Souto. This task was only begun the following, with the execution of the demolition of the municipal market. In 1964, by municipal decision the five elements of the Fonte do Pelicano, which was encountered dismantled in the episcopal garden were moved to the Praça do Município and reconstructed.
In 1973, the Direcção-Geral de Construções Escolares (Directorate-General of School Construction) proceeded to adapt the central an eastern wings (oriented to the Largo da Praça for there use as installations of the University of Moinho's rectory. The wing destined for the Museu D. Diogo de Sousa and a majority of the dependencies were unoccupied, with only the first floor occupied by artisanal shop of the municipal tourist centre, the district courts and the second floor occupied by the Alliance Française and Instituto Minhoto de Estudos Regionais. But, by 1975, the library was integrated into the directorship of the University of Moinho and two years later the Museum D. Diogo de Sousa abandoned their spaces.
Architecture
The former court was constructed on an unleveled terrain in the historic centre of Braga. The building is addorsed to buildings along its eastern and western edge, with the cathedral of Braga and Church of the Misericórdia, to the southwest, and municipal hall and Fonte de Pelicano, to the west. In the northeast is the Garden of Santa Bárbara, on level ground, a geometric area delimited by shrubs and decorated with cedar topiaries. In the centre is an octagonal fountain, on four steps, with circular column surmounted by an image of Santa Barbara. Delimiting this patio are the ruins of a broken arcade pertaining to the medieval episcopal palace.
The Palace is a set of three different buildings with distinct characteristics and time periods. The irregular building is asymmetrical composition, consisting of three bodies, that are also irregularly designed and constructed in different epochs, that are addorsed and interconnected. The medieval corp is associated with a rectangular garden patio oriented towards the Garden of Santa Bárbara, addorsed to the southern 15th century "U"-shaped wing and rectangular square, known as the Largo do Paço. At the junction of these in the west, is designated the Baroque Wing, oriented to the Largo do Município. This body is the most formal, with a three-register symmetrical structure with recessed central body and lateral wings. All unique buildings are of varying heights and covered in different roofing materials.
Southern wing
The South wing, defining the Paço Square, is composed of various buildings from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Access to the complex occurs across the 15th century body, consisting of a two- to three-register structure on a slight terrain, constructed of granite, except for the portion oriented to the encircled Largo D. João Peculiar (which is plastered and white-washed). The facades of the buildings are decorated in cornices and marked by several vertical rectangular vains. The facades to the Largo do Paço, with wings covered in grated-windows and surmounted by rectangular cornices on the first register and more simple rectangular windows on the second floor, with guardrails. The central wing with principal entranceway is flanked by pilasters, crowned by ornate pinnacle and surmounted by the coat-of-arms of Archbishop D. Rodrigo Moura Teles.
The eastern wing includes two panels of walls separated by colossal Roman-like pilasters. On the left is a doorway flanked by pilasters and decorated by a coat-of-arms in the timpany, between lateral windows, also flanked by pilasters. To the right, there are two porticos flanked identical windows one framed by pilasters, crowned by inscription and coat-of-arms, and the other framed and decorated. This wing is to the south (towards Rua do Souto) with identical inscription, but with windows between registers and window in the mezzanine.
The western wing, with gallery is supported by colonnade and recumbent windows with coat-of-arms of Archbishop D. Agostinho de Jesus in the centre. This wing to the south, oriented towards the Largo D. João Peculiar at the corner, in the last register, closed balcony, crowned by pinnacles, supported by great balcão fechado, em empena coroada por pináculos, suportado por grandes corbels and windows.
In the Largo do Paço is a central fountain, known as the Fonte dos Castelos, a polygonal structure with twelve steps, poly-lobed tank, and a column with sculptured hexagonal and six fountains. The ornate fountain includes a secondary tank sculpted in the form of interconnected castles linked by wall surrounding a pinnacle carved as a three register tower, surmounted by a statue crowned with armillary sphere topped by patriarchal cross.
Eastern wing
The Eastern wing (facing the Santa Barbara Garden is of Gothic style and dates to the 14th and 15th centuries.
Western wing
The Western wing (facing the Municipio Square) was built in the 18th century in the Portuguese Northern Baroque style.

Episcopal Palace

Castle of Braga (Portuguese: Castelo de Braga) is a historical fortification and defensive line encircling the city of Braga. While, in fact, the only remains of this structure are the various gates and towers along its perimeter, the main keep tower, located in the civil parish of São João do Souto, is the only true remnant of the medieval castle.

The old castle, today demolished, had an approximate rectangular plan, with towers on each vertice. Of the walls of the city, only the gate, tower of Santiago, tower of São Sebastião and Porta Nova remain (the latter being completely remodeled in a Rococo style and completely different stylistically).

Its perimeter barely exceeded 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), and was delimited (today) in the east by the Praça da República, west by the Rua do Castelo (keep and castle), Rua de São Marcos, Rua do Anjo, Largo de Santiago, Rua do Alcaide, Largo de Paulo Orósio, Rua de Jerónimo Pimentel, Campo das Carvalheiras, Avenida de São Miguel o Anjo, Largo da Porta Nova, Rua dos Biscainhos, Praça do Conselheiro Torres e Almeida and Rua dos Capelistas (walls).

The demolition of the grounds began in 1858 in the Largo do Barão de S. Martinho, with the destruction of the Souto Gate, followed by the Eastern and São Bento Gates, still in the 19th century. After the beginning of the 20th century, many other lines of the castle were destroyed between the Arco da Porta Nova and Rua dos Biscainhos, and from Rua dos Biscainhos and Rua do Alcaide (whose houses abutted the wall, between Campo da Vinha and Praça do Município and Rua de São Marcos). Few remnants of the medieval lines remain today. The ancient wall can be seen in some of the backyards of homes along the Rua do Anjo and Rua de São Marcos. Still further, there still exists the Gate of São Tiago, even if partially altered due to the construction in the second half of the 18th century, through the addition of the Capela da Senhora da Torre. Along Rua de São Marcos, in 1985, one property owner constructed over the foundations of one part of the wall, while in March 1990, there was a collapse of one part of the ancient wall, during the demolition of the old Facho garment factory.

History

Writing in the mid-2nd century, the Greek astronomer and geographer Ptolemy wrote that Bracara Augusta had been under Roman rule. Archaeological work completed researchers from the University of Minho discovered a defensive wall, consisting of polygonal plan, reinforced by small semi-circular turrets, dating to the 3rd century. Recent information points to polygonal plan, defined by rectilinear lines that crossed the structure, with an area between 40 and 50 hectares, punctuated by semi-circular towers . During the period of Iberian migration, the Suebi chose Bracara Augusta as the capital of their kingdom due to its strategic importance and settlement. However, the early settlements floundered with successive conquest, under the Visigothic tribes, southern Moorish invaders and the Christian Reconquista of the Kingdom of León.

Medieval

Although reliable information about the evolution of Braga's early defences are lacking, it is known that, from the 11th century, a second wall was under construction, to the south and to the west, complementing the old Roman wall in the north. Furthermore, it is known that in 1145, Archbishop John of Braga promised the Knights Templar an imposing house within the city walls.

The first documented reference to a walled keep occurred on 12 June 1161, in a transfer to the Church of São João do Souto, that included the walled spaces, and which passed metres from the Sé Cathedral. Around 1210, the walled compound was likely expanded, since documented references referred to road and gate of Souto.

It was in 1300, that King Denis ordered the construction of the castle, as noted by Monseigneur José Augusto Ferreira, and a year later the budget was applied to the project. In 15 years, the first documented reference to the new castle appeared, but by 1350, under the reign of King Pedro I the project had not yet been completed: the king ordered the use of residuals for the work on a new wall, abandoning the old Roman line of defenses in the north.

Between 1369 and 1371, during the first battles of the Ferdinand Wars between Castile and forces of King Ferdinand, Henry II of Castile took the city, which was then "a great place, but badly circled, with only one tower". When Henry finally abandoned the castle, he order the city be put to flame. The tomb of Cabido, then referred to Porta do Muro, which was also named the São tiago da Cavidade.

King Ferdinand restored the wall in 1378, adding three towers to the perimeter defenses. By 1380, three master masons continued to work on the site (João Mouro, Pero Senascais, or Senaschais, and João Pedreiro). Yet, by 31 August 1398, the archbishop D. Martinho Pires da Charneca obtained license from King John I to repair the castle and nominate an alcalde. By 20 November, of the same year, the same archbishop solicited Cabido 2000 corner stones from the tower of Quintã de Carapeços for public work on the castle and archiepiscopal. But, by 1400, even those concessions were not enough for the project, necessitating the order by the archbishop to bring all stone that was encountered in the outskirts of the city for the construction. As of 10 February 1402, the jurisdiction and defences were transferred to the archbishops by the Crown. After a feud with the Cantor of the Sé Cathedral, on the free transfer of the stone, from the tower of Carapeços, the king sent stone free-of-charge from the older buildings whose restoration was not likely to be concluded.

On 20 December 1421, the king determined that the Moorish residents that did not respect the contract between the prelate, cabido and population, should be obliged to pay 100 reis fine, which were then applied to the construction of the walls. Yet, even by the Cortes of Lisbon (1446), the Bracarense procurators continued to complain that the population continued to pay for the city walls, whose construction was suspended. They attributed these complaints to the King's uncle, Afonso, 1st Duke of Braganza, who was the project's comptroller, and public works in the comarca of Entre Douro e Minho. Between 1456 and 1459, during the Cortes of Lisbon, there was a new denunciation against the uncompleted project, whose budget had already been squandered. As the walls began to deteriorate, the blame fell to Aires Ferreira, a squire in the House of the Duke of Braganza.

These continued problems forced King Afonso V on 12 March 1472, to restore the authority over the city and jurisdiction to archbishop Luís Pires. Inevitably, the Church began the reconstruction of the defenses; by 1477, the wall tower, alongside the Gate of São Tiago, was already underway, requiring the collection of taxes on the sale of properties in the city. Between 1505 and 1532, archbishop Diogo de Sousa ordered the construction of the Porta Nova. Already around 1594, the map of Braga included the distinctive image of the castle and wall at its maximum extent.

Sometime in the 17th century, Archbishop José de Bragança, reconstructed the Porta Nova gate, which was extended with Rococo arch/decoration in 1773, becoming known as the Arco da Porta Nova.

After the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, the Jesuits altered the tower alongside the Gate of São Tiago, constructing the Chapel of the Our Lady of the Tower (Portuguese: Capela da Senhora da Torre).

The demolish of the walls began around 1858, starting around the Largo do Barão de São Martinho with the destruction of the Souto Gate, and progressing, around 1867, to the Gate of São Marcos (or São João).

Republic

The destruction of the castle and walls continued to 1905, when the jailhouse (installed in the castle) was demolished, while the keep tower was spared.

On 23 June 1910, a decree classified the keep and some sections of the medieval wall as a National Monument. The Direcção Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (DGMEN) began the first efforts to recuperate the Castle's remains in 1942-1943, with remodelling of the keep tower, roofing the space and coverage, assessment of pavements, replacement of doors and frames, the clearing of space around the courtyard, including the demolition of existing local structures, and replacing cornerstones that were damaged.

In 1956, the roof was repaired, including the substitution of broken tiles, repairs to the battlements, frames and substitution of broken windows, while another group of public works were made to transition the structure for reuse, such as the installation of an electrical system, arrangement and painting of the door, construction of a new staircase, and the re-landscaping of the terrain around it, including leveling the terrain, paving with gravel and planting flowerbeds. The tower, thus, became the headquarters for theDelegação da Sociedade Histórica da Independência de Portugal (Delegation of the Historical Society of Portuguese Independence) in 1957. A year later, on the celebration of the commemorations associated with the establishment of the Portuguese monarchy (Portuguese: Comemorações Henriquinas), the Portuguese Mocidade erected a commemorative plaque alongside the tower.

New landscaping around the keep tower occurred in 1971, which resulted in the placement of pavement stone, and installation of exterior illumination.

The association ASPA settled in the keep tower in 1982, sharing the space with the Historical Society.

On 29 September 1996, the keep's machicolations were destroyed. As a result, there was an expanded attempt to recuperate, clean and repair existing damage to the site, which included: the repair of the roofing, including reinforcement of existing structures; the placement of an undulating asphalt sub-tile and then re-tiling the coverage; repair to the trapdoor access to the battlement with a metal structure; repairs to the interior and exterior parapets; treatment of cracks and joints; weather-proofing of the battlements; repairs to all staircases, pavements, landings, handrails and tiling floors; the repair of the main gate, execution of a second gate in glass, replacement of windows and frames; and the substitution of the electrical system.

Architecture

From the 13th century, the city walls had an approximately circular plan. A combination of archaeological evidence and documents allows for the walls' general lines to be reconstructed, but the exact location of the gates (of which there were at least four) and the towers are unknown. Beginning at the Arco da Porta Nova (an 18th-century construction that replaced one of the older gates), the wall followed north-northeast along the Rua dos Biscainhos (its northernmost extent being the Campo da Vinha) and looped around southeast along the Rua dos Capelistas, touching the castle wall. After which, the walls continued southwest and then south, northwest and again north, passing through the Campo e Torre de São Tiago, the Largo das Carvalheiras, and the Largo de São Miguel-o-Anjo, before returning to the Arco da Porta Nova.

Keep

The principal remnants of the Castle, the keep tower, is located in the centre of the historic city of Braga, encircled by various buildings which were constructed in the spaces of the demolished castle. It is situated on the fringes of the building of the Escola Comercial e Industrial Bartolomeu dos Mártires and in proximity to the Church of the Third Order of Saint Francis (Portuguese: Igreja dos Terceiros).

Of the old castle only the keep tower (Portuguese: Torre de Menagem) remains, consisting of a rectangular footprint and vertical block covered in tile. The facades are built in granite masonry that is slightly staggered closer to the ground. The design is trimmed with chamfered merlons, battlements with gargoyles and machicolations to the corners. It is four stories, or approximately 30 metres (98 ft) in height, with the first floor considerably taller than the remaining: it is about 12 metres (39 ft)tall. This section is marked by grooves where other buildings abutted the structure, some stones with identifiable inscriptions.

On the first floor, to the northeast, is an arched door that gives access to the interior. A staircase, consisting of two flights, provides egress to the intermediary landing. The door is surmounted by a coat-of-arms of the king Denis, which is also repeated in the western facade of the tower. There are cracks on the second and third floors towards the southeast facade. The roof includes arched windows along each of the facades, with the southeast and northweast twinned.

The interior of the tower is divided into individual spaces on each floor, linked by wooden staircase, with parquet floors and wooden ceilings.

Castle of Braga

The Palace of Raio (Portuguese: Palácio do Raio) is a Baroque era residence in the urbanized area of the municipality of Braga, in the civil parish of São José de São Lázaro. It is an example of the late Baroque, early Rococo style of decoration by Portuguese architect André Soares, notable for his influence in the northern Baroque movement.
History
The construction of this ornate palace was ordered by João Duarte de Faria, a knight of the Order of Christ, who was a rich merchant.
The commission was given to André Soares in 1754–1755, an architect already famous in the Braga region for his artistic and engineering projects. Soares reformulate the style first introduced to Porto by Nasoni, basing his interpretations on French-German sketches, "one of the expressions more distinct and powerful of the European Rococo". His work is characterized by the monumental nature of its forms, and for his use of natural elements in the decorative sculptures that permeate the design including the shells, jars, wreaths and garlands. These elements show the influence of the Augsburg sketches, or the Frenchman Meissonier, among others. In the context of Portuguese art, André Soares was part of the end of the Baroque period, and beginning of the Rococo; his style used the structure of the Baroque, but the decorative style of the Rococo. André Soares had worked on the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus and the Church of Santa Maria Madalena da Falperra, and the Raio Palace is seen as an extension of the "feative character of Falperra".
In 1760, the staircase was painted.
A century later, the residence was acquired by Miguel José Raio, then Viscount of São Lázaro (in 1867), thus, over time, becoming known as the Palace of Raio.
The Escola Profissional de Recuperação do Património de Sintra (Professional School for Recuperation of Sintra Patrimony) intervened in 1993 to repair the doors and windows on this first floor. The group was responsible for repairing the wood frames, cleaning of the stone from damage caused by humidity, completing moulds, installation of artificial stoneworks, reinforcing the structure with cement and reintegration of many of the sculptures. Matos Sequeira, an archeologist, once referred to the facade as similar to a piece of furniture from the court of Louis XV.
Architecture
The building is located in the urban context of Braga, situated alongside the Hospital of São Marcos and the pavilion sheltering the Fountain of the Idol.
It is a singular block, in the Baroque-style, constructed during the reign of King John V. The palace is a two-storey buildings, consisting of several three-doors on the main floor, flanked by ornate framed windows, and the second-floor consisting of several windows and balconies. The roof is topped by a veranda of balusters, with ornate vegetal pinnacles.
Over the main portal, deeply indented, is a sumptuous balcony of balusters, flanked by two decorative sculptures. The lintel over this second-floor balcony is monolithic. Its cornice, which is exceptionally recessed, and crowned by a balustrade consisting of six flaming sculptures, while four blazing amphorae on its flanks over an Ionic pilasters frame.
The main floor is embellished by frames of carved granite, and the outline of the wrought iron balconies. Apart from the main entrance, are two lateral doorways (all of which are painted in complementary blue). While the facade is covered in azulejo tile (and installed in the 19th century), the whole building is built from fine-grained granite. On the landing, the azulejos were likely executed by Bartolomeu Antunes, owing to the different interpretations of the Rococo: one more traditional, from a workshop in Lisbon; and another, which predominates a northern agitation, from Braga.
This residence is considered one of the most important public works of André Soares, presenting a facade that is profusely decorated, where the general symmetry contrasts with the asymmetries introduced by the windows. This is particularly true of the central section, which is similar to the models utilized in the Church of Falperra and Municipal Council building of Braga: all which have similar traits. The window over the main doorway connects a curved pediment, which reminds the viewer of the Church of Santa Maria Madalena, although highly projected from the rest of the facade. As Vitor Serrão mentions in his critique, it is across "the sensual and powerful sense of deconstruction that the openings almost announce the art of one Gaudi", and the building "imposes a newness and display, within a sensual Rococo rhythm to the noble staircase like an inviting exotic figure."
In the interior, is the noble staircase, with three arches and sculpture of a Turk, comparable to the four statues in the esplanade of the Church of Bom Jesus, who Smith attributes to André Soares (even if they were executed by masons José and António de Sousa.

Raio Palace

O Castro de Moldes, também referido como Monte do Castelo de Neiva, localiza-se na freguesia de Castelo do Neiva, concelho de Distrito de Viana do Castelo, em Portugal.

Constitui-se em um castro que remonta à Idade do Ferro, no alto de um monte à margem direita do rio Neiva.

História

As escavações arqueológicas realizadas no seu sítio durante a primeira metade da década de 1980, trouxeram à luz um povoado de consideráveis dimensões, dotado de um assinalável sistema defensivo que se constituía por cinco linhas concêntricas de muralhas reforçadas por torreões na vertente sul. As linhas de muralhas acompanham, quase sempre, a geografia do terreno.

Nomeadamente na área definida pela muralha interior, identifica-se uma notável densidade de estruturas de carácter doméstico, de planta predominantemente circular, em cuja edificação se utilizou o próprio afloramento rochoso. Algumas dessas edificações apresentam um vestíbulo e estão apartadas por arruamentos lajeados em granito. Entre elas, destaca-se uma, pelo facto de possuir uma espécie de assento corrido coberto por placas rectangulares de ardósia.

As investigações evidenciaram a reutilização do espaço em épocas posteriores, designadamente durante o período de ocupação romana, para o que terá sido determinante a sua posição estratégica. Apontam, nesse sentido, alguns materiais exumados durante as diferentes campanhas, tais como artefactos de bronze (entre os quais uma fíbula), a par de um abundante número de fragmentos de cerâmica comum e de importação. Estes elementos atestam não apenas o carácter relativamente permanente da ocupação desse povoado, como, sobretudo, a sua inserção numa complexa rede de relações comerciais, evidente na presença de inúmeros exemplares de diversos tipos de ânforas e respectivas tampas.

A relevância estratégica de seu sítio foi reforçada já em plena Idade Média, e em concreto, no início do século XII, de quando data a primeira referência conhecida sobre a existência, no local, de um castelo, pouco antes de D. Afonso Henriques (1109-1185) ser cercado em Guimarães. Foi, a partir de então, palco de vários episódios relacionados com a consolidação do Reino de Portugal, em pleno processo de Reconquista, até que, em finais do século XIV, o castelo acabou por perder a sua anterior importância política na sequência da transferência da sede do julgado de Neiva, executada no âmbito de uma ampla reorganização administrativa do território. Foi, então, abandonado, entrando num lento processo de degradação, embora ainda sejam visíveis os sulcos onde assentavam os muros da torre e subsista a romaria à capela de Nossa Senhora das Oliveiras, construída num dos caminhos conducentes ao interior do povoado.

Encontra-se classificado pelo IGESPAR como Imóvel de Interesse Público desde 1970.

Os testemunhos provenientes da estação arqueológica do Castro de Moldes, encontram-se expostos numa das salas do prédio da Junta de Freguesia de Castelo do Neiva.