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GPS 37.31645453951214, -8.804978983475767

Aljezur Castle, originally spelled Algezur or Algesur, is a military monument in the village of Aljezur, in the District of Faro, Portugal.

According to the remains found, the site has been occupied at least since the Bronze and Iron ages, and was later used during the Roman and Islamic periods and after the Reconquest. Its main function was to control the Ribeira de Aljezur, which is why it was abandoned in the transition between the 15th and 16th centuries, due to the silting up of that river axis. According to tradition, it is one of the Algarve castles represented on the Flag of Portugal. Aljezur Castle was badly damaged by the 1755 earthquake, and was only partially rebuilt between 1940 and 1941, as part of national celebrations. It was classified as a Property of Public Interest in 1977.

Description

Location and accesses

The Castle is located on the top of an isolated hill with about 88 m of altitude, dominating the oldest part of Aljezur, which is located to the east. However, this is not the highest point in Aljezur, there is another hill to the south, 93 m high. The castle was built in a place that allowed good visual control over the Ribeira de Aljezur and its plain, and part of the coastal strip. The Ribeira de Aljezur passes through the valley of D. Sancho and then flows into the ocean, next to Praia da Amoreira, having been an important axis of communication between the coast of Alentejo and the western Algarve. It had good navigability conditions until the 16th century, with traces of a river port being found on the riverside, in the town of Aljezur. The castle is located in an extreme point of the Algarve, although it still has great importance from a regional point of view.

Access to the building is via Cerro do Castelo and D. Pires Paio Correia streets.

Composition and estate

The fortress has an irregular polygonal plan, approximately octagonal, which was chosen in order to better adapt to the topography of the place where it is located. The walls, in a straight line, are about 1.5 m thick and 3 to 5 m high, and are punctuated by two massive towers, located at opposite ends of the castle, to the north and south. Originally, both the walls and the towers could have had battlements, with access to the top of the towers via wooden stairs. Traces of a barbican were also found on the Northwest slope, which would have been less than a meter high, and of wall outcrops on the West side. The north tower, about 5 m in diameter and 9 m high from the outside, had a circular plan, and served to guard the only entrance to the castle, on the northeast side. The other tower had a quadrangular shape, measuring 4.98 by 4.40 m, and had a height and dimension similar to that of the circular tower. On the northwest side of the castle is the only opening in the walls, functioning as an entrance. In this area, a stone plaque was installed relating to the Centenary Commemorations, and the intervention that was carried out in the castle at that time.

The main square includes a cistern (algibe) in the northwest corner, approximately cubic in shape with a vault, and with access through an arched door, its interior being completely filled. There were also several compartments of trapezoidal and rectangular plan against the walls, which could have had a function from a military point of view, as barracks. Two silos were also found, excavated in the rock, which indicate that the castle was also used as a warehouse, perhaps at a collective level. The interior still retains some of its rocky nature, with some parts higher than the walls. The castle would have been built to house only one garrison.

In terms of assets, few traces of the most remote occupations were found on the castle hill, with, for example, traces from the Bronze Age discovered in a discontinuous layer of reduced thickness, just above the rocky substrate. On the other hand, the layers relating to the Iron Age and Roman times were very damaged, mainly during the period of abandonment before the Islamic occupation. Pieces from the Bronze Age period include ceramic containers, such as careened bowls and containers, similar to those found at the archaeological site of Cerradinha, in Santiago do Cacém. As for the Iron Age and the Roman period, parts of amphorae and fine ceramics were discovered, of black and campanienses. Several of these pieces were produced locally or regionally, while others, such as the fine ceramics from Campania and the wine amphoras from the 2nd to 1st centuries BC, would have been made in the Italian Peninsula or in other parts of the Mediterranean, thus indicating that the ancient settlement de Aljezur maintained connections abroad. Traces of the Islamic medieval period were also found, including two coins, metallic pieces, and fragments of ceramic containers, such as jugs, mugs, bowls, enamelled and glazed bowls, pots, pitchers and pots. Traces of food were also collected during Muslim rule, such as fish, domesticated or wild mammals such as deer, and many mollusc shells, both estuary and marine. In this way, it appears that the diet during that period was very varied, and that the main economic activities would be fishing and agriculture, followed by hunting and collecting shellfish. Foundry slag was also discovered in the castle, which indicates the presence of an iron metallurgy.

Importance and conservation

Aljezur Castle is considered one of the most impressive and important in the Algarve. It was classified in 1977 as a Property of Public Interest, while the Special Protection Zone was defined by Ordinance No. 220/2010, published in Diário da República.

History

Background

Archaeological excavations at the site, directed by Carlos Tavares da Silva, made it possible to identify various chronologies of occupation, having found traces from the Bronze Age, around three thousand years old, and from the second Iron Age to the republican period of Rome, between the 4th and 1st centuries BC. At the site of Várzea da Misericórdia, located on one of the slopes of the hill on which the castle stands, traces of a possible Bronze Age settlement were found, with emphasis on a bronze helmet, which was preserved at the Municipal Museum of Lagos.

During the Roman period, the site where the castle was later built may have been occupied by a castro of the Lusitanian peoples, while the Romans themselves installed a lookout post there. This function as a lookout post was resumed during the Visigothic period, between the 7th and 8th centuries.

Medieval period

However, the foundation of the castle itself only took place in the 10th century, during the Islamic medieval period, during which the village of Aljezur was also created. Indeed, the castle's fortified structures were identified as belonging to this period, as were some buildings inside. The traces of Muslim chronology can be separated into two distinct phases, the first corresponding to various structures, probably for residential use, of which the walls, topped with rammed earth, and the floors, some of them with flagstones, remain. The walls belong to a second phase, having probably been erected during the beginning of the second period of the Almohad Caliphate, between the 12th and 13th centuries, a period in which the silos inside the castle were also excavated. This fortress would form part of the defensive complex of the region under the control of Silves, which at that time comprised the region from Aljezur and the south of the Alentejo coast to the modern municipalities of Lagoa and Albufeira. The village of Aljezur itself may have an Islamic origin, with its foundation being attributed to the beginning of the 10th century.

According to tradition, the village was reconquered by Christian forces in 1242 or 1246, on June 16, by a detachment of the Order of Santiago, under the command of Paio Peres Correia. Indeed, the village of Alvor was taken in 1240, and Tavira in 1242, although the reconquest only ended in 1249, with the liberation of Silves, Faro, Albufeira and Porches. In reward for his role in the reconquest of the Algarve, King D. Afonso III offered Aljezur and other locations to the Order of Santiago. After the reconquest, that monarch will have ordered works to be carried out in the castle, which may have included the construction of compartments next to the walls. At this time, the castle may have had functions mainly from a military point of view.

On February 16, 1267, the Treaty of Badajoz was signed, where the King of León and Castile, D. Afonso X, committed to handing over to King D. Afonso III of Portugal the castles in the Algarve region, including Aljezur . On November 12, 1280, King D. Dinis issued the charter of Aljezur, in the town of Estremoz. On December 1, 1297, that monarch exchanged the town of Almada and the farm of Alfeite, for the castles of Monchique and Aljezur and the towns of Almodôvar and Ourique, which now belonged to the Order of Santiago. This decision was part of the process of liberation of the Order of Santiago from the masters of Castile, initiated by D. Dinis.

Modern age

The castle was abandoned in the period between the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century, as it lost importance as a defensive post, due to the silting up of the Ribeira de Aljezur, which reduced its navigability. Another reason that contributed to the abandonment of the castle was a reduction in the strategic importance of the village of Aljezur, and a need to defend more important points in the Algarve region. Indeed, the pottery fragments that were discovered in the upper part of the filling of the structures, used as a rubbish bin, are typical of the transition period from the 15th to the 16th century.

In the 15th century, the castle was already in an advanced state of abandonment, as reported by a visit by the Order of Santiago to the village of Aljezur, in 1448 or 1482. According to this document, the western wall was in ruins, while the gates they were damaged and had no locks. The removal of stone or masonry to be used in other buildings was prohibited, and rules were laid down for the rebuilding of parts of the already ruined walls and cleaning of the cistern, which was being used as a place to deposit rubble. However, the restoration work on the castle did not progress, despite having been reinforced by King D. Manuel, as part of his land use planning programme. That monarch issued a new charter for Aljezur on August 20, 1504, with the village gaining the status of honor. Despite this, since then the castle has been abandoned, entering a profound process of degradation, which was witnessed by the authors between the 16th and 19th centuries. Despite the state of abandonment of the fortress, it still continued to have chief mayors, a function that was performed by the Counts of Vila Verde, and later by the Marquises of Angeja.

In the work Diccionario Geographico by Father Luís Cardoso, edited between 1747 and 1751, in volume I, page 312, a reference to the castle of Aljezur was inserted: and lost.». Shortly afterwards, the 1755 Earthquake devastated the village, while the castle suffered extensive damage to structures and buildings inside.

Another description of the fortress was made by João Maria Baptista, in his work Chorographia Moderna do Reino de Portugal, published in 1876: «There was a strong castle in Moorish times, whose ruins are still preserved in the highest part of the hill to S. , with an octagon shape with two towers and a beautiful cistern that is still in good condition, and the foundations of small barracks. The remains of the few and cramped buildings that have been found in some excavations in its surroundings, show that the village was always small and poor as it is today.».

20th century

After several centuries of abandonment, the first significant interventions in the castle were only carried out between 1940 and 1941, as part of the commemorations of the centenary of Infante D. Henrique, during which important restoration works were carried out on monuments in the Western Algarve, including the Fortress of Sagres and in the city of Lagos. In the case of the Castle of Aljezur, its importance was highlighted, mainly due to the tradition that it would be one of the fortresses of the Algarve included in the national flag, with repair works being carried out mainly on the walls, although some sections were significantly modified during the process . These interventions were remembered on a commemorative plaque, placed next to the entrance to the castle. On October 12, 1956, the 1st Subsection of the 6th Section of the National Board of Education issued an opinion on the classification of the castle, and on October 13 of that year the Undersecretary of State for National Education published an order of approval in that regard. On September 19, 1972, the National Board of Education gave its opinion on the possible installation of a hotel unit in the castle, having declared that it would only authorize this work if its interior was not damaged. In 1973 a project was made for the exterior lighting of the building, at the request of the municipality, and between 1976 and 1977 the access road and a car park were built. Aljezur Castle was classified as a Property of Public Interest by Decree 129/77, of 29 September. In 1981 the lighting systems were installed, and in 1985 urgent conservation work was carried out on the walls.

Decree-law 106F/92, of 1st June, published in Diário da República n.º 126, Série A, assigned the monument to the Portuguese Institute of Architectural Heritage. On November 21, 1996, the Municipality of Aljezur issued the announcement for the opening of a public tender, regarding the Project for the Reconstruction, Conservation, Consolidation and Use of the Castle of Aljezur, and on September 29, 1998 the municipality made the presentation of the study prior to that program.

In 1988, Aljezur Castle was the subject of prospecting work, as part of an archaeological survey program in the municipalities of Aljezur and Monchique. Also in the 1980s, restoration work was carried out on the castle, including on the walls, where a retaining wall was set up to prevent the disintegration of the ruins of the medieval structure.

In the 1990s, the Castle was again the target of archaeological research, with traces from the Bronze and Iron Ages, and from the Roman and Islamic periods having been found. These surveys were carried out by the Archeology Unit of the Natural Park of Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina, in partnership with the Municipality of Aljezur.

XXI century

In 2004, soundings were carried out in the castle in order to identify the old layout of the wall, for later partial reconstruction. During these works, the lower limit of the wall next to the South tower was unearthed, and it was discovered that the wall that had been restored in the 1980s was displaced from the medieval fabric, towards the outside, with the plans and primitive constructive techniques. In 2005, archaeological follow-up work was carried out, following the adjudication of the work Stabilization and containment of the slope under the foundations of the walls of the castle of Aljezur by the Portuguese Institute of Architectural Heritage. Traces of a possible pavement were found, which may indicate the presence of housing levels outside the walls, and a housing interior with a fireplace where two silver dirhams were collected, so it would have been occupied during the Islamic period. Traces of mortar blocks being knocked down were also found, possibly from the final phase of Muslim rule before the reconquest. In 2008, interventions were carried out at the entrance to the castle, in order to minimize the impacts of the program for the Rehabilitation of the Archaeological Structures of Aljezur Castle, and at the same time identify the different periods of occupation in that location.

On December 5, 2007, the Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve launched a proposal for the Special Protection Zone of the castle, which was approved on October 1, 2008 by the advisory board of the Institute for the Management of Architectural and Archaeological Heritage, and homologated by the Minister of Culture in an order dated 29 November 2009. Between 2007 and 2008, the contract for the Protection of Archaeological Structures and consolidation of Aljezur Castle was carried out, and in 2010 signage was installed on the monument. In 2013, two interventions were planned in the Castle, the first being consolidation works on the South tower and the cistern, and landscaping, while the second, which was part of the POLIS programme, was the musealization of the monument and the installation of a center for visitors.

In June 2015, Aljezur Castle was part of the Urban Sketchers design event, within the scope of the DIVAM program - Dissemination and Enhancement of Monuments in the Algarve. On August 27, 2016, the Fantastic Nights event in Fantastic Castles was organized, which included various activities and musical entertainment in the castle of Aljezur. In November of that year, the Municipal Budget and Major Plan Options for 2017 of the Municipality of Aljezur were released, with plans to enhance the Castle of Aljezur, through the introduction of a landscape reader.

In April 2017, the interior of the castle became visible in the street view functionality of the Google Maps online viewer, within the scope of the Google Street View Special Collects initiative, with the support of the Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve. In May of that year, the event O Olhar do Pintor – The monument as an artistic motif in the castle was held, on training in painting.

On April 13, 2019, the signing ceremony of the protocols between the Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve and the various participating entities took place in Castelo de Aljezur, kicking off that year’s edition of the DIVAM programme. As part of this programme, a musical event was also organized at the castle.

The Legend of Mares

The reconquest of the castle in the 13th century was linked to a local legend, which reports that a Moorish woman supported Christians out of love.

Aware of the privileged position of the castle and the close surveillance maintained by the Moors, D. Paio Peres Correia, dispatched some Portuguese scouts to probe the terrain and the habits of the people of the village, in order to outline his assault plan. In the field, they managed to entice a Moorish woman of rare beauty, Maria Aires, who informed them of the practice of an ancient custom of the inhabitants of the region, of bathing on Amoreira beach at dawn on the 24th of June.

In possession of this information, D. Paio arranged his men so that, on the night of the 23rd to the 24th of that month, they would hide in the valley next to the castle, today known as the valley of D. Sancho, certainly in homage to the sovereign. time, Sancho II of Portugal. Camouflaged with the vegetation, they waited for the Moors to move towards the beach at dawn. As soon as this began, the Christians, still under cover of darkness, began the final approach for the assault on the unguarded town and castle. At that moment, a girl, granddaughter of an old woman who had been left behind in the village, noticing the unusual movement outside, ran to tell her grandmother that the bushes were moving. The old lady was explaining to her granddaughter the effects of the breeze on the vegetation when, by surprise, the Christians burst through the doors, dominating the lady who still tried to sound the alarm, ringing a bell in the cistern tower. Masters of the terrain, the Portuguese then raised the alarm, luring the defenders into a deadly trap inside the enclosure.

With the village conquered by the arms of Portugal, D. Paio, it is said that sensitized by the charms of the beautiful Maria Aires, spared her life and honor, making her build a house in a place close to the village that still stands today. in his memory, it is called Mareares.

Another legend indicates that Christian forces entered the castle through a nearby spring, known as the Fountain of Lies, thus managing to conquer it.

A third legend states that the speed with which the castle was conquered was due to a magical food consumed by the Christian forces, based on sweet potatoes. However, this report does not match the historical reality, since that plant is of South American origin, and only much later was it known in Europe. However, this legend demonstrates the important cultural role that sweet potatoes have in the municipality of Aljezur.