Longroiva Castle

Category: Military Architecture > Castle

District: Guarda > Mêda > Longroiva

Location

- Located in the parish of Longroiva, in the municipality of Mêda, district of Guarda, Portugal.

- Located in Beira Interior, in the Douro Sul Tourist Region.

Ancient Origin

- Probable origin in a pre-Roman castro from the 4th to the 2nd century BC.

- Roman fortification known as Longóbriga.

- Also occupied by Visigoths and Muslims.

Middle Ages

- During the Reconquista, it was donated to the Monastery of Guimarães in 960.

- Rebuilt and strengthened in the 12th century by the Templars under the guidance of Master Gualdim Pais in 1176.

- D. Dinis granted a charter to the town and ordered the castle to be repaired in 1304.

- After the extinction of the Templars, the castle passed to the Order of Christ in 1319.

- In 1510, D. Manuel I granted a New Charter to the town.

Modern and Contemporary Period

- In the 18th century, the castle was already in ruins.

- In the 19th century, it was used as a quarry and the interior transformed into a cemetery.

- Classified as a National Monument in 1943.

Structure

- Trapezoidal plan with Romanesque and Gothic styles.

- Degraded wall without merlons or adarve (parapet).

- Keep with three floors and straight-arched slits.

- Mainelada window in Manueline style in the tower.

- Two cisterns in the parade ground.

Current State

- Part of the construction is in ruins.

- The entrance to the Templar house is still visible.

- Cemetery in the parade ground.

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