Citânia de Santa Luzia, Viana do Castelo, Portugal

The Citânia de Santa Luzia (also known as the Old City of Santa Luzia) is an archaeological site of the Castro culture. Its construction dates from the Iron Age, and it shows evidence of occupation during the Roman period. The Castro was first dug in 1876 by Joaquim Possidonio Narciso da Silva. Only about one third of the structures have been dug, with the remaining part being under or destroyed during the construction of the nearby hotel (1900 - c. 1910), church (1904 - 1943), and respective roads. The site also included a possibly medieval chapel dedicated to Saint Lucy which persisted, after some reconstructions, until 1926 when it was destroyed to give way to the Saint Lucy Church of Miguel Ventura Terra.

The Citânia was constructed on the top of the Santa Luzia hill, overseeing the Lima River's delta and is protected by three lines of walls, towers, and two moats. The innermost walls (1.20 to 1.25 in thickness) enclose a 30m by 20m area that contains a single circular house and its only entrance faces West.

Ruins of approximately 74 houses have been found. Most of them have circular foundations or elliptical, and few are rectangular. The houses are found within small, walled neighborhoods.

The findings of the Citânia de Santa Luzia include multiple ceramics of the Castro, Roman, and Visigothic eras.

References:

Wikipedia

Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Portugal

User Reviews

aleksandar dinic (2 years ago)
Not working, closed and here it states that it's open... Come here for nothing unfortunately...??????☹️

Jack Spat (3 years ago)
Great historical site of the Celts. Views of the valley below.

Douglas 'xtechx' Souza (4 years ago)
Super old and super cool. A great piece ir history

Antonieta Ponce de Leão (4 years ago)
Was not able to understand much about the place... The majority of the buildings were round and that was interesting, but was not able to understand why. Would be helpful if we could find more information. Was fun to see the sheep :D

Tony M Leitao (6 years ago)
If you visit Santa Luzia like I have been doing for years, it's very easy to miss the hidden jams at the top of the mountain. I recommend everyone to visit this beautiful historical ruins.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright caminanteK

Historic Site of the week

Château de Foix

The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians. The county became a privileged refuge for persecuted Cathars.

The castle, often besieged (notably by Simon de Montfort in 1211 and 1212), resisted assault and was only taken once, in 1486, thanks to treachery during the war between two branches of the Foix family.

From the 14th century, the Counts of Foix spent less and less time in the uncomfortable castle, preferring the Governors' Palace. From 1479, the Counts of Foix became Kings of Navarre and the last of them, made Henri IV of France, annexed his Pyrrenean lands to France.

As seat of the Governor of the Foix region from the 15th century, the castle continued to ensure the defence of the area, notably during the Wars of Religion. Alone of all the castles in the region, it was exempted from the destruction orders of Richelieu (1632-1638).

Until the Revolution, the fortress remained a garrison. Its life was brightened with grand receptions for its governors, including the Count of Tréville, captain of musketeers under Louis XIII and Marshal Philippe Henri de Ségur, one of Louis XVI's ministers. The Round Tower, built in the 15th century, is the most recent, the two square towers having been built before the 11th century. They served as a political and civil prison for four centuries until 1862.

Since 1930, the castle has housed the collections of the Ariège départemental museum. Sections on prehistory, Gallo-Roman and mediaeval archaeology tell the history of Ariège from ancient times. Currently, the museum is rearranging exhibits to concentrate on the history of the castle site so as to recreate the life of Foix at the time of the Counts.

Do you know an ancient castle or magnificent church near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory.com.

It's absolutely free, easy, and doesn't even need registration!

Upload data

Citânia de Santa Luzia

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Migthy Cathar Castles

Hidden Gems of Finnish Archipelago

House of the Dragon Filming Locations

Historic Site of the week

Château de Foix

Looks like you are a history fan!