Moura Castle

Category: Military Architecture > Castle

District: Beja > Moura > Moura > Quinta de Santo António da Pipa

Location and Environment

The Castle of Moura majestically rises at the highest point of the Alentejo town, offering a commanding view over the surrounding landscape. Situated on a limestone elevation, about 184 meters above sea level, its strategic position allows for broad perspectives over the locality and the confluence of the Brenhas and Lavandeira streams, tributaries of the Ardila river, which wind their way towards the Guadiana. Walking along its walls, it is possible to appreciate the vast Alentejo horizon.

Memories of Other Times

This castle is a testament to the long and complex history of the region, whose origins date back to an Iron Age hillfort. Successively occupied by Romans, Visigoths, and, significantly, by Muslims, the site flourished as an important center. It was during Islamic rule that the rammed earth fortification, whose vestiges are still visible in some areas today, took shape, with particular emphasis on the notable Salúquia Tower.

With the Christian Reconquest, the castle and the town were the scene of intense disputes, being conquered and lost multiple times. Portuguese rule was consolidated in the 13th century, and under the reign of D. Dinis, the castle was substantially rebuilt, utilizing the old Moorish structures. Centuries later, in the context of the Restoration Wars, the defenses were modernized with a star-shaped bastioned line, designed to protect the settlement due to its proximity to the border.

Architecture and Legacy

The structure of Moura Castle features an oval plan, comprising an alcazaba and a barbican. Exploring its interior, one finds the imposing Keep, square in plan, which preserves an octagonal room covered by a ribbed vault, known as the Hall of the Alcaides. It is also possible to observe other towers, such as the one adapted in the 19th century to become the Clock Tower, and vestiges of old gates that pierced the walls.

Within the castle's perimeter, lie the ruins of the Convent of Dominican Nuns of Our Lady of the Assumption and its annexed church. This convent, founded in the 16th century upon the foundations of the old mosque, houses within it the Manueline-style tomb of Pedro and Álvaro Rodrigues, historical figures linked to the Christian conquest of the town. The different construction phases and marks from various epochs are evident in the mixture of materials and styles, from Muslim rammed earth to medieval masonry and the more recent bastioned structures.

The Tragic Legend of Salúquia

Moura is a name that resonates with an ancient and moving legend, that of the Moorish maiden Salúquia, daughter of the Muslim governor Abu Hassan. It is said that one day, while awaiting her fiancé, the alcaide Bráfama, returning from a battle against the Christians, Salúquia spotted knights who appeared to be her own, and ordered the castle gates to be opened. However, the knights were, in fact, disguised Christians who had ambushed and killed Bráfama and his companions.

Upon realizing the trick and the tragic death of her beloved, Salúquia, overcome by despair and refusing to be taken captive, threw herself from the highest tower, meeting her death. The tragedy of the Moorish maiden Salúquia is said to have given rise to the name of the town of Moura, and her figure remains perpetuated in the town's coat of arms, a symbol that invites reflection on the profound connection between history, legend, and the identity of this place. The tower from which the legend says Salúquia threw herself is still known today as the Torre da Salúquia, an evocative point of the narrative.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt