The Castle at Portel

This castle is visible from far away if you come driving towards the village of Portel. Quite a landmark in this region of Alentejo and the view from there is splendid as well! Many different cultural groups have taken control over these lands, the Phoenicians and Romans are some of them, they were interested in this region for its metallurgical resources. The Moors also came by and inhabited the region, some of the archaeological findings and toponyms seem to date back to the Islamic era, such as the name Portel Mafomede. 

 That name is mentioned when the king D. Afonso III hands over the lands of Portel Mafomede close to Évora to a noble knight who was also the king's steward and one of his closest allies, named João Peres de Aboim, in 1257. The Gothic castle was built soon thereafter in 1261 so as to protect the nobleman, his family who had moved there and the people living in the village. The castle soon fell into royal hands since the king D. Dinis and the widow of João Peres de Aboim, D. Maria Eanes, came to an agreement in 1301, after his demise.

If you want to enjoy a typical Gothic castle, this one is a good example. It shows many similarities with the Castle of Angers in France, being the first introduction to such a castle layout in Portugal. Quite a novelty in it's time! A barbican was added a bit later and the whole of the village was also walled but nothing remains of those walls today. Some really beautiful white marble details lifts the whole building.

The captain of the village sided with the king of Castile during the succession crisis in 1383-1385. Not everyone was happy with that decision and a cleric allowed the Portuguese forces under the general Nuno Álvares Pereira to sneak in and reconquer the city. The castle ended up in the royal Bragança family and continues until this day through the House of Bragança Foundation which maintains the upkeep of some of the royal palaces and castles in Portugal.


The regal architect Francisco de Arruda undertook to build a chapel dedicated to St Vincent, as well as building a proper ducal palace within the walls where the Dukes of the House of Bragança could stay and entertain their guests. Unfortunately the remains of these inner buildings are not as well preserved as one could hope for. With a pinch of imagination you can still get quite a good feeling of how it must have been to live in this castle some 400 years ago. The castle was basically deserted and fell into ruins during the 1800s when nobody felt they needed it anymore.

Today, it might be a ruin, but a very lovely one and for free! If you happen to be passing by, just park the car outside and take a look around. Imagine the heavy armoured knights riding in and out of the castle. Get an idea of how the cleric opened one of the entrances to let in the Portuguese army or how the Dukes and later kings of Bragança traveled to and fro, starting a rebellion against the Spanish forces, maybe scheming with their guests within these very walls. 







Location: Portel, 7220, Portugal

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