Almourol Castle
The most beautiful of Castelo de Portugal, is located on a small rugged island, on the Tagus River, just below its confluence with the river Zêzere, in the parish of Praia do Ribatejo, municipality of Vila Nova da Barquinha, district of Santarém and about 90 minutes from Lisbon
By Jorge Toth
The castle is one of the most emblematic and scenic medieval military monuments of the Christian Reconquest of the region, it was part of the so-called Tagus Line, being one of the most representative examples of military architecture of that time, simultaneously, one of the best that evokes the beginnings of the kingdom of Portugal and the Order of the Templars, an association that reinforces the aura of mystery and romanticism, attracting more than 60 thousand visitors a year.
The origins of human occupation of its site are quite old and, for this very reason, enigmatic, believed to date back to a prehistoric fort.
Archaeological research has found in excavations carried out inside and outside the castle, several traces of the Roman presence, coins, an inscription on a vine, and remains of foundations in Roman opus have been recovered. And, from the medieval period, medals were found, two small marble columns, among others.
Almourol Castle, was conquered by the Romans in the 1st century BC, who remodeled it according to the Castro technique, and occupied successively throughout the High Middle Ages by Alans, Visigoths and Muslims from the 8th century onwards. In the 13th century, the fortification already existed, which they called Al-morolan (high stone), origin of the current name.
In 1129, he was conquered by Portuguese troops and, D. Afonso Henriques, future Afonso I of Portugal (1145-1185), donated to the Knights of the Order of the Temple, in the person of his Master in Portugal, D. Gualdim Pais, in charge of the settlement and defense of the territory between the rivers Mondego and Tejo, and the defense of the then capital of Portugal, Coimbra.
At this time the castle was rebuilt, acquiring its current features, characteristics of the Templar architecture: spaces of quadrangular plan, high walls, reinforced by attached towers, with 9 towers and a higher one and in the window facing east there is a cross of the Templars. Dominated by a keep. An epigraphic plaque on the main gate shows that its works were completed in 1171.
Under the care of the Order, constituted as the headquarters of a Commendation, it became a hot spot in the Tagus area, controlling the trade in olive oil, wheat, pork, fruits and wood between the different regions of the territory and Lisbon. It is also believed that there was a settlement associated with the castle, on one or both banks of the river, since, in 1170, its residents were granted a charter.
With the Reconquista advancing to the south, its position lost strategic importance, and the extinction of the Order of the Templars in 1311, by Pope Clement V during the reign of D. Dinis (1279-1325), the heritage of the Order passed to the newly - Order of Christ established, later losing importance, having undergone several changes. The Order was extinguished, and removed from the situation of the reconquest, it was voted to a progressive forgetfulness. On November 1, 1755, it suffered extensive damage from the earthquake that hit the region.
In the second half of the 19th century, under the responsibility of the commander of the Practical School of Engineering in Tancos, in search of the revaluation of the Middle Ages, the castle was reinvented with a romantic ideal of medievality. Many of the primitive structures were sacrificed, in favor of an ideology that intended to make the most emblematic medieval monuments truly masterpieces, unparalleled in heritage heritage.
In the 20th century, it was classified as a National Monument of Portugal and the set was adapted to the Official Residence of the Portuguese Republic, giving rise to some important events of the Estado Novo. The (re) inventive process, which started a century earlier, was definitively consummated by this intervention of the 1940s and 1950s, thus bringing about the fascination that Almourol's scenography caused in the long Portuguese cultural and political Romanticism.
In June 2006, two docks were opened, one on the right bank of the Tagus River and the other on the south side of the island, for tourist vessels. In September 2013, the reforms that benefited the walls and interventions in the donjon began to create a museum space that is worth a visit. Currently, it is possible to visit the Castle of Almourol and go for walks on the Tagus River, adding value and interest to visits to the Monument. From Tancos, Arripiado and Vila Nova da Barquinha.
sources: lisbonlux.com, IPPAR and patrimoniocultural.gov.pt
