Wall of Barcelos

Parish de Barcelos

Background

Although the earliest human occupation of the site, overlooking the Cávado River, is unknown, it is generally attributed to the context of the Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, and was not unrelated to later invasions by the Visigoths and Muslims.

The Wall of Barcelos, of which the so-called Barcelos Tower (Postigo da Muralha or Torre do Cimo da Vila) remains, is located in the city, parish and municipality of the same name.

A mandatory stop for those traveling north-south, the construction of a stone bridge in the first half of the 14th century increased the prosperity of the town of Barcelos, which did not have a castle as such.

The medieval fence

At the time of the Christian À época da Reconquest of the peninsula, the town was conquered by the first kings of León.

It is mentioned at the time of King Afonso I of Portugal (1112-1185) as "my town", in an undated diploma, attributable to a period between 1156 and 1169, by which the sovereign granted its residents, present or future, a charter similar to that of Braga. Later, in the Inquiries of 1220 and 1226, it was designated as "Santa Maria de Barcelos", belonging to the court of Neiva.

The town grew to the point that, in 1298, Denis of Portugal (1279-1325) established it as the seat of a county, which, since the 1st Count of Barcelos, D. João Afonso de Meneses, remained in this family until the time of the 6th Count, also D. João Afonso, who, during the crisis of 1383-1385, followed the party of Infanta D. Beatriz and her husband, João I of Castile, against the party of the Master of Avis, and died in the battle of Aljubarrota. The new sovereign bestowed this title on Constable D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, who later transferred it to his son-in-law, D. Afonso, bastard son of John I of Portugal, 8th Count of Barcelos, later 1st Duke of Bragança. This, moving from Chaves to Barcelos, began, around 1412, the construction of the Palace of the Dukes with the modification of the town's fence (in progress before 1406) and the Main Church.

From the 1755 earthquake to the present day

The 1755 earthquake that caused damage to the town and its defenses, caused the destruction of the Palace of the Dukes of Bragança (today, an open-air museum). Subsequently, similar to what happened in other urban centers, the expansion of the urban fabric resulted in the demolition of the old medieval fence, with only one tower remaining to the north (also known as Torre de Barcelos or Postigo da Muralha), a section of the wall to the east and south and traces of two gates. The well-preserved complex is listed as a National Monument by Decree published on February 19, 1926.

Features

The village fence consisted of an oval-shaped wall, slightly recessed on the north face. Starting and ending at the bridge, four quadrangular towers protected four gates, determining access from the town's main roads to the territory's main roads.

The most important road axis was the southern one, accessing the bridge defended by the so-called Torre da Porta da Ponte, with a quadrangular plan and which, originally, was divided into four floors. It was in this sector that the palace (county palace) was built, which, around 1480, Count D. Fernando had connected to the bridge by means of a two-story tower. The other roads were controlled, respectively:

• to the northeast, by the Torre do Cimo da Vila, where the so-called Porta Nova opened, bordering the old Campo da Feira, a large square where the Barcelos fair was held, through which one went to Viana do Castelo and Ponte de Lima;
• to the northwest, the Tower where the Porta do Vale opened, through which one went to Esposende;
• to the east of the bridge, a smaller tower defended the Postigo do Pessegal, a narrow passage that connected to the Fonte da Vila on the riverside, a path whose defense was reinforced by a small Barbican, as depicted by Duarte de Armas.
• to the west, the so-called Postigo do Fundo da Vila, of smaller size, opened.