Alandroal Castle

Category: Military Architecture > Castle

District: Évora > Alandroal > Alandroal > Nossa Senhora da Conceição

Location

- Situated in the village of Alandroal, in the Union of Parishes of Alandroal, São Brás dos Matos and Juromenha, Évora district, Alentejo region, Portugal.

Classification

- National Monument since 1910.

History

- Built during the reign of D. Dinis (1279-1325).

- First stone laid on February 6, 1294 by D. Lourenço Afonso, Master of the Order of Avis.

- Completion of works on February 24, 1298.

- Alandroal was elevated to the status of town by Charter of Foral in 1486, granted by D. João II.

Architecture

- Gothic style.

- Oval plan with a small neighborhood inside the walls.

- Reinforced by three quadrangular towers in the corners and a robust Keep.

- Main gate (Porta Legal) flanked by two quadrangular towers, allowing vertical defense.

Keep

- Quadrangular plan divided into three floors.

- Internal access currently blocked.

Church of Nossa Senhora da Graça

- Attached to the Keep in the 13th century.

- Presents Renaissance characteristics, such as the coffered vault.

- Terrace transformed into the Clock Tower in 1744.

Town Walls

- Simple urban planning with a single street (rua do Castelo) in the east-west direction.

- Main gate (Porta Legal) to the east, with a Gothic arch and flanked by towers.

- Porta do Arrabalde to the west, with marble loopholes and a tower with the "vara" engraved for measuring commercial measures.

Islamic Marks

- Horseshoe-shaped window in one of the towers.

- Similarities to the tower system of the Almohad walls of Seville.

Restorations and Modifications

- In 1606, many buildings inside the walls were ruined.

- In the 18th century, the barbican was demolished to build the new Town Hall and the County Jail.

- Consolidation and restoration works in the 1940s.

Sources: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castelo_do_Alandroal

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