The Castle of Almourol is a medieval

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

atop the islet of Almourol in the middle of the

Tagus River The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to ...

, located in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

Praia do Ribatejo Praia (, Portuguese for "beach") is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde.Vila Nova da Barquinha Vila Nova da Barquinha () is a municipality in the district of Santarém in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 7,322, in an area of 49.53 km². The village of Vila Nova da Barquinha, which is the seat of the municipality, has about 3500 inh ...

, in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

's Centre Region. The castle was part of the defensive line controlled by the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

, and a stronghold used during the Portuguese

Reconquista The ' ( Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the N ...

History

Praia do Ribatejo - Castle of Almourol - 20150621114621

It is believed that the

was constructed on the site of a primitive

Lusitania Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province located where modern Portugal (south of the Douro river) and a portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and the province of Salamanca) lie. It was named after the Lusitani or Lu ...

n castro that was later conquered by the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

during the 1st century B.C.E. It was later remodeled by successive invading forces, including the

Alans The Alans (Latin: ''Alani'') were an ancient and medieval Iranian nomadic pastoral people of the North Caucasus – generally regarded as part of the Sarmatians, and possibly related to the Massagetae. Modern historians have connected the A ...

Visigoths The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is k ...

and the Andalusian

Berbers , image = File:Berber_flag.svg , caption = The Berber ethnic flag , population = 36 million , region1 = Morocco , pop1 = 14 million to 18 million , region2 = Algeria , pop2 ...

, although it is unclear when the actual castle was established. In excavations carried out in the interior and exterior enclosures, various vestiges of

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

occupation were discovered including coins, millennium markers, and Roman foundations, while

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

remnants such as medallions and two

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

columns were also discovered in the castle's vicinity. The castle of Almourol is one of the more emblematic and cenographic medieval military monuments of the

, and one of the best representations of the influence of the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

. When it was conquered in 1129 by forces loyal to the

Portuguese nobility Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

, it was known as ''Almorolan'', and placed in the trust of

Gualdim Pais Dom Gualdim Pais (1118 – 13 October 1195), a Portuguese crusader, Knight Templar in the service of Afonso Henriques of Portugal. He was the founder of the city of Tomar. Biography Gualdim Pais was born in Amares (a town in the province of ...

, the master of the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

, who subsequently rebuilt the structure. The structure was reconstructed, starting in 1171 (from an inscription over the principal gate) and restored during the subsequent reigns. Losing its strategic place, it was abandoned, resulting in its fall into

ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

. In the 19th century, it was "reinvented" by idealistic

romanticists Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

, which eventually led to interventions in the 1940s and 1950s, and its adaption as an ''Official Residence'' of the

Portuguese Republic Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the ...

. During this period, there were many restorations that transformed the physical appearance of the structure, including the addition of

crenellations A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...

and

bartizan A bartizan (an alteration of ''bratticing''), also called a guerite, ''garita'', or ''échauguette'', or spelled bartisan, is an overhanging, wall-mounted turret projecting from the walls of late medieval and early-modern fortifications from th ...

s. The ''DGMEN - Direcção-Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais'' (''Directorate-General of Buildings and National Monuments''), the forerunner of the IGESPAR, first intervened on the site in 1939, through the construction of the

chemin de ronde A ''chemin de ronde'' (French, "round path"' or "patrol path"; ), also called an allure, alure or, more prosaically, a wall-walk, is a raised protected walkway behind a castle battlement. In early fortifications, high castle walls were difficul ...

masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

, including reinforced concrete; the dismantlement and reconstruction of the corner of the

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

; repair and consolidation of the

battlement A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interv ...

s, including the demolition of the tower's allure, reconstruction of a brick vault under the existing; and reconstruction of the pavement in small stone. Around 1940–1950, the spaces were adapted for its use as an official residence of the

. At the end of this short term, the building's furniture was acquired by the Commission for Furniture Acquisition ( pt, Comissão para a Aquisição de Mobiliário) in 1955, while an electrical system was installed. Between 1958 and 1959, there was some consolidation of the

with concrete straps, a project to diminish the permeability of the

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

and reconstruction of the interior walls of the tower by the ''Escola Prática de Engenharia'' (''Practical School of Engineering''), as well as the reconstruction of a door that included doorposts and

lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of ...

s. In subsequent years, other projects followed: in 1959, the façade of one section of wall was repaired; in 1960, with the conclusion of the repairs to the exterior walls, the pavement and road access was improved by the ''Direcção da Arma de Engenharia de Tancos'' (''Tancos Directorate for the Engineering Arm''). A roadway that skirted the

islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanen ...

from the

quay A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths ( mooring locatio ...

to the southern end of the castle was reconstructed by the ''Serviços de Engenharia do Estado Maior do Exército'' (''Army General Staff Engineering Services''). By 1996, the walls had been repaired, sections of the

were preserved, and the pavement in the castle restored.

21st century and tourism

Owing to water infiltration, the castle began to show some signs of degradation by 2004, including a few of the exterior walls. Although access to the Portuguese National Monument and fluvial islet is free, visitors to the structure must pay for an inexpensive boat-ride across the river, the only way for visitors to reach the castle. Castelo-de-Almourol interior

Architecture

The castle rises over a

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies un ...

outcropping in height, and is approximately long and wide, in the middle of the

waterway, a few metres below its confluence with the

Zêzere River The Zêzere () is a river in Portugal, tributary to the Tagus. It rises in the Serra da Estrela, near the '' Torre'', the highest point of continental Portugal. The Zêzere runs through the town Manteigas, runs through Belmonte, passes south of ...

in front of the town of

Tancos Tancos is a Portuguese ''freguesia'' ("civil parish"), located in the municipality of Vila Nova da Barquinha. The population in 2011 was 243,traitors' gate The Traitors' Gate is an entrance through which many prisoners of the Tudors arrived at the Tower of London. The gate was built by Edward I, to provide a water gate entrance to the Tower, part of St. Thomas' Tower, which was designed to prov ...

and walls reinforced by nine tall circular towers; while the interior enclosure, located at a higher elevation, has walls accessible by the main gate to the main

. The

is three stories tall, and includes the original pads that supported the main truss. The remaining sentry towers are irregular, owing to the irregular terrain. The keep is actually an innovation at this castle, appearing in the 12th century after the

Castle of Tomar Castelo de Tomar is a castle in Portugal, where it is classified as a national monument. The Convento de Cristo was built inside its walls. The castle was built by King Afonso Henriques around 1160 on a strategic location, over a hill and near ...

, the principal defensive

redoubt A redoubt (historically redout) is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, although some are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldi ...

of the

Templars , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

.Barroca (2001), p.107 Similarly, the watchtowers were innovations brought into the western

Iberian peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...

by the

Templars , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

, and applied in Almourol. The interior is bisected by several

doorways that link the different parts of the castle. Two inscription stones mark the castle's history and its re-edification by

(over the main gate), as well as its

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

history (from the cross carved into the space above an open window in the

References

;Notes ;Sources * * * * * * * *

History

21st century and tourism

Architecture

References

See also