Lanhoso Castle

The Castle of Lanhoso is located in civil parish of Póvoa de Lanhoso. The site on top of the mount had been occupied since the Chalcolithic period. Between the 10th and 11th century, the castle existed as a series of walls and corners.

Between 1071 and 1091 Bishop D. Pedro, whose episcopate lasted between 1070 and 1091, supported the reconstruction of the castle's ashlar walls, over the pre-Romanic fortress, that originally defended the episcopal seat of Braga.

In 1121, D. Teresa of León sought refuge in the rebuilt castle, to which she was besieged by forces loyal to her half-sister D. Urraca, Queen of León. Urraca took Theresa captive. However, an intervention by Bishop Gelmires forced the two to an agreement, the Treaty of Lanhoso, that preserved the land holdings of both sides. Then, in 1128, she was imprisoned in the same castle, under the orders of her son, D. Afonso Henriques, after the Battle of São Mamede.

By the end of the 12th century or beginning of the 13th century, there was a Romanesque change in the construction of the keep tower, when the fortress was the centre of the region.

The castle was the site of a crime of passion, when the alcalde, D. Rui Gonçalves Pereira, the great-great-grandfather of D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, discovered the infidelity of his wife while away. Upon learning of the marital infidelity of his wife, Inês Sanches, who was enamored with a friar from the monastery of Bouro, ordered the castle gates closed and fire set to the citadel. The fire killed Inês and her lover, as well as the servants, who were considered accomplices in the infidelity, for not having denounced the fact. By his order, no one escaped the fire alive (including domestic animals) when the structure burned down.

Following the consolidation of the kingdom's frontiers, the castle gradually lost its strategic importance and fell into abandon and ruined. This continued into the 17th century, when André da Silva Machado, a wealthy merchant from Porto decided to build a replica of the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Braga. In 1680, he obtained authorization to dismantle the old fortress to re-use the stones to build a sanctuary to the invocation of Our Lady of the Pillar. Working on demolishing the barbican and part of the walls, building within the enclosure the church, staircase and the pilgrim chapels, that became known as the Shrine of Our Lady of Pilar. By 1724, work on the sanctuary was still occurring.

Between 1938 and 1939 there were excavations around the castle. At the same time work on reconstructing the structure was begun. Although partially ruined, the Castle of Lanhoso is a popular attraction. In addition to the castle (which offers a small exhibition), the shrine and castro are also important points of interest.

Architecture

The highest point of the mountain consists of the a large rocky hilltop, where the medieval castle overlooks the town of Póvoa de Lanhoso. The castle is situated on the extreme west of the mount, encircled by a wall, with two visible corbels, along the extreme opposite side and north, forming an elliptical barbican. The fortification is an irregular plan with a rectangular keep tower in the east. The walls, surmounted by merlons, is broken in the south alongside the keep tower, with arched gate, flanked by two towers and with a staircase carved into the rock.

The keep tower, surmounted by merlons, is 10 metres high and is accessible by an arched doorway 3 metres above the ground. The line of walls circle the terrain within which is the alcalde's citadel and a large cistern. The vestiges of the old citadel include its foundations and towers at the angles and part of an accessway, that allude to the pre-Roman relief. Internally, the rectangular space includes two lines of pillars.

References:

• Wikipedia

Address

N205 560, Póvoa de Lanhoso, Portugal

Details

Founded: 11th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Portugal