Ruins of the Vilharigues Castle

Category: Military Architecture > Castle

District: Viseu > Vouzela > Paços de Vilharigues > Vilharigues

Location

The Ruins of Vilharigues Castle are located in the urbanization of the same name, integrated into the locality of Paços de Vilharigues, in the municipality of Vouzela. The structure stands on a prominent hill, on the northwest slope of the Serra do Caramulo, at an altitude of approximately 430 meters. From this privileged point, the landscape unfolds, offering views over the town of Vouzela and a large part of the Lafões valley, creating an interesting visual setting for visitors.

A Medieval Legacy

The ruins we observe today are the remains of a tower believed to have been erected between the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Historically, Vilharigues was recognized as a "paçã honour" (a type of noble estate), a status that implied the existence of a palace with a lordly tower. Its granite construction, with a quadrangular plan, reflects the military and residential architecture of the period. Elements such as the machicolations, introduced in Portugal during the reign of D. Afonso III and which became common in fortified residences under D. Dinis, and the presence of battlements and loopholes, which could only be used with royal authorization, suggest the importance and prestige of the lords who inhabited it. Among its notable owners are figures such as D. Vasco Lourenço da Fonseca, Gonçalo do Monte, and Diogo Álvares, and a local tradition links its history to D. Duarte de Almeida, known as "the Decapitated".

Features of a Fortified Residence

The tower, although currently in an advanced state of ruin, still allows a glimpse of its original configuration. Two of its walls remain, on which elements of the two machicolations can be observed. Its interior was divided into three distinct floors: a lower level that would possibly serve as a storage or warehouse, an intermediate floor intended for a social room or hall, and an upper floor that would house the more private quarters of the lordly family. In what remains of the structure, the recesses in the walls that supported the old wooden beams of the floors are still perceptible. Although it was a lordly tower, its architecture incorporates typical features of military towers, making it an example of medieval defensive architecture in central Portugal. The ruins were classified as a Property of Public Interest in 1944, recognizing their historical and architectural value.

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