O Castelo de Torre de Moncorvo, no Douro, localiza-se na freguesia, vila e concelho de Torre de Moncorvo, no distrito de Bragança, em Portugal.

História

O castelo medieval

A povoação foi criada como uma vila nova em 1285, no âmbito da ação povoadora empreendida por D. Dinis (1279-1325), processo que fora iniciado desde D. Afonso III (1248-1279). Herdando o termo até então vinculado à cabeça de terra de Santa Cruz de Vilariça, era instituída como sede administrativa e militar. Datará deste período a construção de seu castelo, citado pelo próprio soberano já em 1295.

Sob o reinado de D. Afonso IV (1325-1357), um contrato entre a Câmara e dois pedreiros para a construção de uma barbacã (1337), permite-nos identificar a construção desta estrutura defensiva exterior. Mais tarde, ainda nesse século, sob Fernando de Portugal (1367-1383), iniciou-se a ereção de oito torreões de planta quadrangular (1376).

Do século XVI aos nossos dias

Uma informação de 1530, dá conta de que a cerca da vila estava derribada, o que levaria à execução de trabalhos de reparo no final desse século, insuficientes, entretanto, para deter o processo de decadência do conjunto nos séculos seguintes.

Dessa forma, em 1721 outra informação dá conta de algumas portas e trechos da cerca foram demolidas.

Ao se atingir o século XIX, a Câmara Municipal já considerava o castelo irrecuperável. Por se localizar entre a vila velha e a vila nova, com acesso possível apenas por uma artéria estreita e íngreme, a municipalidade projectou a sua demolição (1842). Com a aprovação do projeto, toda a zona foi rebaixada, erguendo-se novos edifícios públicos. A construção de um quartel, embora projetado, entretanto, jamais saiu do papel.

Os remanescentes do conjunto, alguns troços de muralha na altura da Praça da República e adjacências, encontram-se classificados como Imóvel de Interesse Público por Decreto publicado em 20 de Outubro de 1955.

Características

Localizado em posição dominante a Oeste da vila medieval, o castelo apresentava planta quadrangular irregular, em aparelho de granito. A sua praça de armas estava livre de quaisquer edificações. Um desenho datado de 1815 permite reconhecer que o castelo apresentava duas torres, uma voltada para o interior e outra para o exterior, sendo que uma porta em arco abatido, a Leste, permitia o acesso ao recinto.

Castelo de Torre de Moncorvo

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The Castle of Vila Flor (Portuguese: Castelo de Vila Flor) is a medieval castle located in the civil parish of Vila Flor e Nabo, municipality of Vila Flor, Portuguese district of Bragança.

Early history

The presence of several ancient forts in ruins suggest indicates that the region has been occupied by prehistoric humans.

Medieval era

Archeological and anedoctal evidence places the establishment of the village at the height of the Christian Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula in the eleventh century.

It and the region became part of the Kingdom of Portugal under King Afonso I of Portugal upon Portugal's independence.

On 24 May 1286, King Dinis (1279-1325) granted a Foral Charter to the village, the first time of its existence in the record books. In 1295, the king rose the village to a town status.

The village was sympathetic to Jewish families who were expelled from other parts of Europe. Influx of immigration led to the development of agriculture, trade and manufacturing of leather and jewelry.

King Manuel (1495-1521) handed the town a new Foral Charter on 4 May 1512. However, the new Charter was anti-Semitic and drove away a lot of Jews, resulting in a massive decline of the population.

Modern day

Over time, the castle saw its usefulness decline. Townspeople neglected to maintain proper of the castle and the fortress slowly wore due to the force of nature. The castle is mostly in ruins with a few left standing.

It was later decreed by the Portuguese government that it is a site of Public interest on 20 October 1955.

Characteristics

The castle is protected by a ring of wall that originally had five gates. Of these five ports, only one portcullis survives and is named as South Gate or Arch of D. Dinis. It is a pointed arch with dimensions of 3.5 meters wide by 4 meters high and is held by two semicircular plant towers.

Castelo de Vila Flor

The Castle of Castelo Melhor (Portuguese: Castelo de Castelo Melhor) is a medieval castle located in the civil parish of Castelo Melhor, in the municipality of Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Portuguese Guarda. The castle is one of the best examples of secondary medieval fortresses, erected in one of the more peripheral zones of the peninsular kingdoms.

History

During the pre-Roman era, the site was occupied by a castro founded by the Turduli peoples.

By the 12th century, the land was already occupied by Leonese forces. The project was conceived by the Leonese and began in the 13th century, a period that corresponded to intense fortification of the lines of Riba-Côa, an area that was constantly in dispute between the Portuguese and Castilian monarchs. It was in this context that King D. Alfonso VII of León conceded a foral (charter) to Castelo Melhor between 1209 and 1210, simultaneously ordering the construction of the "castle", in order to consolidate the population and military, which would become important in the succeeding centuries.

As a consequence of the Treaty of Alcanices, in 1297, the land was integrated into Portuguese territory. On 12 June 1298, King D. Dinis confirmed the privileges issued during Leonese dominion, affirming the importance of the new space. At the same time, he ordered work on the castle and dotted on the town a new administrative purpose, even as it continued to project a secondary military importance within the military lines of Riba-Côa.

This minor statute was supported by King Denis. In addition to its transformation and later ruins, he limited the reformulation to the "entrance system to the castle, whose gate began to be flanked by two rectangular towers". This solution, by its scenographic and authoritarian symbolism transmitted regal authority in the region. Parallel with the perimeter wall, the generally circular and singular tower were "oriented toward the settlement, protecting the unique flank where access was possible". Denis's confirmation of Alfonso's privileges, which avoided any sudden changes to the population or administrative organization of the town, but added a keep tower.

In the last quarter of the 14th century, the first repairs were completed on the castle, during the reign of King D. Fernando. Between 1383 and 1385, during the dynastic crisis, the castle became the dominion of the Kingdom of Castile. Following the Treaty of Monção, on 29 November 1389, the Portuguese crown obtained the squares of Olivença, Noudar, Mértola, Castelo Mendo and Castelo Melhor, while ceding Salvaterra and Tui.

In the first quarter of the 15th century, repairs were undertaken during the reign of Kings D. John I and D. Afonso V. At the beginning of this century (in 1422) the Rol dos Besteiros, refers to the Castelo Melhor included some 1704 inhabitants. King Afonso V was obliged to confer on Castelo Melhor the status of town, integrating it with the municipality of Almendra, resulting in the municipality of Almendra e Castelo Melhor. During the 1496 Inquirição (royal inquiries) there were only 204 inhabitants in the territory.

At the end of the 15th century, King D. John II donated the lands of Castelo Melhor to João Fernandes Cabral for 4000 crowns for his marriage to Joana Coutinho. In the following century, many of the important noble families became affixed to the alcalde of the castles, and the fortress fell into the hands of the Cabral, whom were responsible for the alcalde of Belmonte. But, even as Belmonte became the seat of their power, resulting the construction of their seat, in Castelo Melhor, little remained. Around this time (1527), Castelo Melhor was mentioned in the Cadastro da População do Reino (Kingdoms Population Cadastre) as being a part of the town of Almendra. In 1584, it was elevated to the status of seat of the countship, in favor of Rui Mendes de Vasconcelos.

During the context of the Restoration Wars, in 1640, an artillery battery was constructed on the eastern flank of the hilltop.

In the 18th century, Castelo Melhor was already a subordinate to Almendre and its donataries were the Counts of Castelo Melhor.

On 17 April 1758, in the Memórias Paroquiais, signed by the parish priest, José Gonçalves da Guerra, the settlement was acknowledged as a donatary fiefdom of D. José de Caminha Vasconcelos e Sousa, Faro, Távora e Veiga, Count of Castelo Melhor, and included a population of 89 residents. The castle was granted the title of seat of the county, without garrison, but defensible by necessity.

In 1766, the town was elevated to the status of marquesship in favour of the 4th Count, José de Vasconcelos e Sousa Caminha da Câmara Faro e Veiga (the last titular was the 7th Marquess, Elena Maria de Vasconcelos e Sousa Ximenes).

In 1855, the municipality of Almendra e Castelo Melhor was extinguished, in favor of the municipality of Vila Nova de Foz Côa.

Architecture

The castle of Castle Melhor is situated in a rural region, 450 metres (1,480 ft) above sea level, overlooking an urban settlement on the right margin of the Côa River. The Douro River is situated some 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to the north, while the Côa River is located 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the west. Its courtyard is built on the rock covered surface integrating large boulders.

The castle follows an irregular polygonal form on the hilltop. The damaged walls consist of small schist stone with 3–6 metres (9.8–19.7 ft) without merlons and access staircase to the battlements, with a triple arch gate in the northwest. A circular tower is located behind the northern wall. Between the gate and tower are the vestiges of a reinforcement wall, similar to a structure along the south wall, that indicate the former existence of a barbican. Three conical corbels are behind the eastern and northwestern portion of the wall. A circular cistern, without covering is situated in the northeast part of the courtyard, with various remnants of rectangular buildings in the courtyard.

Castle of Castelo Melhor

The Castle of Carrazeda de Ansiães (Portuguese: Castelo de Carrazeda de Ansiães), normally shortened to Castle of Ansiães, is a medieval castle in the civil parish of Lavandeira, municipality of Carrazeda de Ansiães of Portugal.

The castle ruins, whose structure is easy to reconstitute, includes a few peculiarities, such as small Traitors' Gate alongside the keep tower, and remnants of barbicans along the walls, in addition to examples of primitive cisterns in relative good state (although obstructed). The Castle of Ansiães and that of Vila Flor complement each other: both implanted in a protected zone, on small plateaus between cordillera and three peaks.

History

Antiquity

The first remnants recorded on this site date to the Chalcolithic period approximately 3000 BCE, and were the basis for the early Roman settlement that developed. This ended with the sack of Carrazeda de Ansiães by northern barbarians in 409.

This was followed by the conquest of the region by Muslim forces in 711. The settlement escaped attacks by the Leonese forces during the 11th century, but, its position near Christian kingdoms meant that a fortification was required to protect their settlement. Yet, by 1057, the first Christian Foral Charter was instituted by the Ferdinand I of León and Castile, insinuating the fall of the Moorish fortress; the foral constituted one of the oldest geographic forals, defining the extent of Portuguese borders. During the High Middle Ages, the location already possessed a long cultural heritage, a factor that allowed it to become a fulcrum along the Douro River. Consequently, in subsequent centuries, the region experienced an exponential growth within the walled settlement.

Medieval era

In 1160, the first King of Portugal Afonso Henriques conferred the first Portuguese Foral charter, later re-confirmed and validated on 6 April 1198, by his successor King Sancho I, and again in April 1219, by King Afonso II. The village progressively imposed its importance in the territory it belonged, which included diverse resources, a proliferation of small agglomerations and agricultural parcels. It was in this context that in 1277, King Afonso III issued a charter to allow a fair in Ansiães.

King Ferdinand gave the town of Carrazeda de Ansiães to João Rodrigo Porto Carrero, in 1372. But, João Rodrigues took up arms for the Kingdom of León and Castile, which would only be settled in the Treaty of Badajoz in 1382.

Between 1384 and 1496, a letter in the localities of Freixial, Murça and Abreiro obligated the transfer of customs dues to the construction of the new castle. But, in order to quicken the construction these funds were supported by the church funds. In 1443, the regent Peter funnelled the taxes from Freixiel, Abreiro and Vilarinho da Castanheira to support the repair of the walls of the castle.

On 11 June 1510, King Manuel of Portugal issued a new foral to Carrazeda de Ansiães, yet transferred the castle to Rui Dias de Sampaio in 1516. By 1527, the village consisted of 35 inhabited buildings, yet the lack of potable water, relative distance to fertile terrains and principal roadways, resulted in the castle's progressive abandon. Between 1580 and 1591 the walls were repaired by the royal taxes, which was later complemented by local efforts to reinforce these walls in 1640. The final part of the 15th century, and in particular the 16th century, marked the beginning of a demographic transformation, resulting in an accentuated urban loss to the periphery. In the following centuries this movement worsened, culminating in the transference of the municipal seat to Carrazeda, in 1734. By the 19th century, the settlement within the castle walls was finally abandoned.

On 1 June 1992, the property was transferred to the IPPAR Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico (Portuguese Institute for Architectural Patrimony), under decree-law 106F/92, before these competencies were agglomerated by the Instituto de Gestão do Património Arquitectónico e Arqueológico (Institute for the Management of Architectural and Archaeological Heritage). In order to re-appropriate the historical importance of the site, in 1995, the Projecto Arqueológico do Castelo de Ansiães (Archaeological Project for the Castle of Ansiães), by the Grupo de Estudos de História da Viticultura Duriense e do Vinho do Porto (GEHVID) (Study Group for the Douro Viticulture and Porto Wine), financed by the GEHVID and municipal council was initiated. The first excavations on site occurred between 1996 and 1998, occurring in the interior and exterior perimeter walls, under the supervision of archaeologist Luís Pereira.

The DGEMN Direcção Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (General-Directorate for Buildings and National Monuments) was active in the recuperation of the walls in 1944-1945 and 1976, with consolidation of the western towers occurring in 1977.

In 2004, a reception centre was constructed.

Architecture

The ruins are located in a rural, isolated position, between the mountainous Serra da Vila, encircled by zones of vegetation, and 200 metres (660 ft) from an area of cultivatable lands. The space rests atop a small plateau, above which is a small cordillera and blow a sequence of smaller mounts. About 40 metres (130 ft) from the castle's entrance lies the ruins of the Convent of São João, which dates from the Roman epoch, and within the exterior walls exists the Church of São Salvador.

The remains of the fortification are granite and mortar, consisting of an irregular, oval-shaped wall with a thickness of 2.65 metres (8.7 ft) and whose height is a maximum 6.6 metres (22 ft). A smaller redoubt in an elevated part of the site forms a quadrilateral.

The interior courtyard has a Roman arch entrance to the south (São Salvador Gate), consisting of two rows of staves, the inner more narrow and wide, guarded by two rectangular towers: the left is partially destroyed and the other the keep tower, to the north, square-shaped with two floors, flanked by a smallTraitors' Gate.

In this perimetre are vestiges of a cistern (actually obstructed) with vaulted-ceiling of granite, abutting the cliff-side. Another vaulted cistern was dismantled by the IPPC Instituto Português do Património Cultural (Portuguese Institute for Cultural Patrimony), but never reconstructed, much like the Torre dos Lameiros, which is actually destroyed.

An interior courtyard, also ovular, encircled the old town, creating a second defensive perimeter, while in the east and south, the granite cliffs completed the defensive lines. Here there are visible remains of homes and cubical-spaces, some with barbicans. This defensive zone is served by Fonte Vedra Gate to the south (a Roman arch doorway), while in the east is the principal entrance with access to Lavandeira, referred to as the Porta da Vila Gate. To the west are the São João and the São Francisco Gates, with their own stone roads that converge at the town centre.

In reality, there continue to be two perceptible and distinct spaces constituting the principal elements of the medieval form of Carrazeda de Ansiães. The first, situated on the higher elevations, corresponds to the primitive trebuchets. This perimeter is defined and organized around the ovular walls, reinforced by five rectangular towers. It is still possible to recognize the group of structural vestiges, such as the keep and the respective annexes. It is also in this space that the cistern is located, which presumes the presences of older buildings of a military function. This is a defensive specialization, destined for the shelter and protection of its residents. The second space is defined by an urbanized area. A second line of walls, 600 metres (2,000 ft) in length and three rectangular towers, encircling a perimeter that is proliferated by large damage, including medieval and modern structures. The urban organization, its plan, is centered on various roads that intercept each other, structuring the small barrios and residential areas of the community.

Castle of Carrazeda de Ansiães

The Castle of Numão (Portuguese: Castelo de Numão) is a medieval castle in the civil parish of Numão, municipality of Vila Nova de Foz Côa, in the Portuguese district of Guarda.

History

Early History

The earliest evidence of human settlement dates to prehistoric times, as far back as the Neolithic period. It is believed that the Lusitanians lived here and later became subjects to the Roman Empire With the Muslim invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, a fort saw its construction there.

Medieval era

During the context of the Christian Reconquest of the region, the fortress and a few others in the regions belonged to a man named Chamoa Rodriguez. At the time of the Christian Reconquest, here existed a castle, which together with others in the eastern border region, belonged to D. Chamoa Rodrigues, who donated, through his aunt, the Countess Mumadona Dias, the Monastery of Guimarães (960 ).

Retaken by Muslim forces in 1000, the village was later devastated by the brothers Tedom and Rausendo Ramires in 1030, only to be reconquered by Fernando Magno in 1055 or 1056. In this period, the castle is among the inventoried property belonging to the Monastery of Guimarães in 1059.

With the independence of Portugal, Afonso I of Portugal (1112-1185) donated his dominions to his brother, Ferdinand Mendes de Bragança. The noble, on 8 July 1130, granted a charter to the town (referred to as Civitate Noman) and promoted the rebuilding of the castle.

Later, under the reign of Afonso's son and successor, Sancho I (1185-1211), massive works of recovery of the walls and the erection of the main tower were completed as epigraphic inscription (now lost) dated 1189.

Under the reign of King Sancho II (1223-1248), the areas of Numão and its castle were donated temporarily to April Peres Lumiares.

In October 1265, Afonso III (1248-1279) confirmed the charter to the village. A new constructive phase in their defenses, however, will only have taken place from the confirmation of this title by King Dinis (1279-1325), on 27 October 1285.

When the 1383-85 Portuguese succession crisis, Numão sided by Beatriz, along with the neighboring villages and castles of Penedono, Pinhel, Sabugal, Castelo Rodrigo and Trancoso.

Under the short reign of D. Duarte (1433-1438) was established here one of couto homiziados (1436), which seems to indicate some difficulty with its settlement. The village received Foral New King Manuel I (1495-1521) on 25 August 1512. At the time it was Commendation of the Order of Christ. The Register of Population of the Kingdom in 1527, shows that Numão village had 15 fires, and 41 more in their surroundings.

With the extinction of family Coutinhos for lack of descendants (1534), the town and its castle had their aggravated decay process: two centuries later the village was changed-to a new location at the foot of the hill. Frei Joaquim de Santa Rosa de Viterbo refers, in 1798-1799, the castle was practically ruined and that the door "which is to the West" was in one epigraphic inscription, who transcribed: "Incepit Tvrrem in was MCCXXVII" (corresponding to 1189 in our calendar).

The Institute for the Management of Architectural and Archaeological Heritage classified it as a National Monument by decree published on June 23, 1910.

The government intervened in the second half of the 1940s by proceeding with works of consolidation and cleaning, rebuilding walls, desentulhamento the tank and recovery the donjon. New works campaigns took place in 1973-1974, due to the collapse of a section north of the walls, and in 1984.

In the early twenty-first century, the municipality did install stage lighting.

Architecture

The castle is a typical mountain castle, standing on a rocky hill 677 meter above sea level. It presents irregular oval plant (organic), with elements of Romanesque and Gothic styles, occupying an area of 336 hectares. The walls, crenellated in a short stretch, are reinforced by towers (originally fifteen, currently six), some of which addorsed the outside. 

At the center of the main square opens up a circular plan tank with about seven meters in diameter without coverage. Next to the main door observe the ruins of the Church of Santa Maria do Castelo (Romanesque) and the cemetery.

The Watchtower, the Northeast, has square plan, with walls torn by two high slits and surmounted by corbels of geometric decoration.

On the slope east, near the gate of St. Peter and where there was a homonymous chapel, there is a necropolis with about 10 anthropomorphic graves dug into the rock, popularly known as Cemetery of the Moors.

Castle of Numão

The Castle of Freixo de Espada à Cinta (Portuguese: Castelo de Freixo de Espada à Cinta) is located in the civil parish of Freixo de Espada à Cinta e Mazouco, municipality of Freixo de Espada à Cinta, in the Portuguese district of Bragança.

History

The castle of Freixo de Espada à Cinta is one of the oldest Transmontanan fortresses, being documented since the 12th century, as a course several created by D. Afonso III and D. Dinis.

In 1152, D. Afonso Henriques first ceded a foral (charter) to Freixo, referring it as the settlement of "Fresno". It is presumed that the construction of the fortress occurred following this regal letter, but there are only references to work completed in 1258. From this date, it is probable that in the 12th century, a primitive redoubt, eventually with a wall to defend the settlement, which was eventually occupied by Leonese forces between 1212 and 1213.

Between 1212 and 1213 it was occupied by forces loyal to the kingdom of León. But, King D. Sancho II of Portugal donated Alva and its town to the municipality of Freixo in 1236, ordering the expulsion from the locality of all those inhabitants that lived their during the Leonese occupation. A foral was re-conferred in 1246, by his successor, King D. Afonso II to formalize the move of the town.

The 1258 Inquirições (inquiries) it was established that King D. Sancho II had donated the settlement of Alva to Freixo, and that the Church of São Miguel was obliged to pay two parts of its rent to the municipality for public works at the castle. The same king conceded the fortifications of Urrós, which was located in the wilderness, for fear that it could be occupied by the neighboring kingdom.

In the 13th century, following the foral signed by D. Afonso III, dated 1273, the castle was the object of an extensive campaign of public works. Little is understood as to the extent of the work realized, due to the destruction of the group, especially the work done during the reign of King Dinis (who resettled and ordered the construction of the castle). A new foral was conceded by King D. Afonso III.

During the 14th century, in the words of Rui de Pina, King D. Dinis "populated anew" the castle in Freixo. In 1342, the Freixonitas made a request to the King to apply a "terça" of the parochial church for public works on the castle.

In 1376, a letter from King D. Fernando referred to the construction of "regal apartments" in Freixo. Another letter determined that the towns of Urrós and Maçores should cease to pay for the repairs of the fortifications of Freixo and began to serve the public works in Torre de Moncorvo. The town was donated to Fernão Afonso, master of Valença in 1381. Soon after (1383) work restarted on the castle.

Privileges were conceded on the town, in 1406, by King D. João I, in acknowledgement for its support during the 1383–85 Portuguese interregnum.

Designs by Duarte D'Armas (1509-1510) show a castle with circular barbican and rounded western entrance with machillitons. The southern battlements were decorated with parralleleptical merlons, while in the north (which was in a state of semi-ruin) was a false gate. To the south of the entrance was a cylindrical corbel with two orders of cruciform battlements, without merlons and with intermittent vaults. The castle, also circular, was circuited by various towers and corbels of varying sizes and forms. In the extreme east, alongside the false gate is a rectangular tower of two registers, with ceiling tile, two small windows in the north and another in the south, a balcony with machillotians, with another two crowning the walls linking to the tower keep. The rectangular keep tower with facade crack, is marked by merlons with three balconies with machilliations; Duarte D'Armas indicated in the legend that the tower was four registers, with a last floor topped with vaulted ceiling. Following this is a smaller pentagonal tower, crowned with machialliations. On the right of the principal gate is a hexagonal corbel with balcony and machicolations and surmounted by two bell towers with two iron crosses, one with two bells and another referred to as d'El-Rei. On the left is a taller octagonal tower with comparable damage, crowned by machicolations with merlons. In the north is a hexagonal corbel, followed by a semi-circular corbel, rectangular ledge and a new hexagonal corbel with balcony and machicolations. In the castle courtyard are two cisterns. On the outside of the castle, to the west, are town homes, the parochial church in the east (with a Manueline doorway), the Church of Santa Maria de Vilar in the west and farther to the north, the Chapel of São Brás. In the east are cultivatable lands, extending to the Douro River and the Castilian castle of Vilibestre.

In 1512, D. Manuel conceded a new foral. The following year, there were new works on the castle, under the direction of master mason Pêro Lopes. Between 1527 and 1532, in the national "Numeramento", the town was identified as having a "good castle, strong, circled, where no have more than one alcalde" with 447 homes. Masterbuilder António Fernandes executed work on the castle in 1569, by order of the monarch.

By 1758, the garrison on site comprised a lieutenant and twelve men. Between the 17th and 18th century, the belfry over the tower of Galo was constructed; by 1800, the castle was still in a good state. But, by 1836, the courtyard was being used as a municipal cemetery, with the first burial occurring on 8 July 1836.

During the 20th century, there were excavations carried out in the tower, relieving that there were no dungeons or dependencies in the under floors. There was a proposal to remove the cemetery within the courtyard in 1972. The DGEMN executed works on the battlements and merlons in stone, resurfaced the pavement of the parapet; covering in plastered masonry; demolition of the staircase and repair using stonework. A year later the walls and joints were cleaned; the accesses and layout were arranged, including landscaping and valorization of the area around the castle. The following year the walls were repaired. Between 1970 and 1973, thirteen buildings were demolished to alleviate the tower structure, resulting in the arrangement of the accesses and new landscaping. A further four buildings were removed between 1974 and 1978, resulting in further work around the castle.

In 1980 work on conservation were begun: repavement; repair of joints; substitution of stonework and placement of tilework in the intermediary floor of the tower. Two years later, the watchtowers and accesses were repaired; repair of the granite masonry along the handrails and the walkways and staircase accesses, in addition to the Portuguese pavement stone. By 1983, the tower was in an advance state of degrade, resulting in studies by the Grupo da Pedra and laboratory analysis by INIC. In 1983, the DGMEN replaced the stone masonry with granite stone from primitive quarries in the town; washing and brushing of masonry; and the application of silicone on all facades. Between 1983 and 1984, further conservation work on the parapets occurred with the substitution of deteriorated stone and reconstitution of the foundations and base of the embattlements, with schist stonework, including repair of joints and cleaning. Work on the walls, staircases, placement of slabs and windows, landscaping of the surrounding areas, including the installation of electrical devices began in 1984. Consolidation of the walls continued between 1985 and 1987, with the shoring of the foundations; placement of new schist to reinforce and consolidate the foundations; leveling of the walls and application of schist masonry; cleaning of brush/vegetation, including the extraction of roots.

In 2000, a plan for intervention on the site was initiated supported by FEDER.

The C.M.F.E.C. decided to create a cultural route that included the parochial church, the pillory, the Galo Tower, Handicrafts Centre and the Casa Junqueiro residence. From the work of Mário Jorge Barroca, the Galo Tower being quite high, was used as the keep tower, since it was larger than the then original keep tower ("22 poles versus 19 poles" high).

Architecture

The castle was situated in an urban context. The tower was situated in an elevated position, integrated into the historic centre, erected to the north of the parochial church. A little further from the site, to the west, is the Church of the Misericórdia. The primitive space within the walls of the castle is occupied by a cemetery, reusing the ruined foundations of the fortification walls.

The principal Renaissance element is the high, cenographically-refined heptagonal tower, commonly referred to by locals as the Torre do Galo or simply the Torre do Relogio. But, the architecture of the medieval castle were constructed in Gothic style, resembling the castles of Alva and Mos. The old castle keep, figured by Duarte de Armas (c. 1509) along with the seven-sided tower, did not survive to the modern era.

Castle remains are dominated by an irregular heptagonal plant tower, towering 25 metres (82 ft) high, is accessed through a door. Its interior is divided into three floors, with vaulted arches and accessible by stairs, lit by small slits in the walls. At the top, there is a running counter supported by corbels. The set ends with a bell tower square, with needle-like coverage with the corners rounded small pyramids.