Arraiolos Castle

Parish of Arraiolos

Background

The early human occupation of the rocky outcrop known as Monte de São Pedro, north of Arraiolos, is attested to by some prehistoric quartz hammers and a copper axe, found during archaeological prospecting in the castle's citadel, currently in the Évora Museum.

It is believed that the settlement itself was formed around 300 BC.

The medieval castle

The idea of ​​fortifying this place dates back to the donation of the so-called Arraiolos estate made by D. Afonso II (1211-1223) to D. Soeiro, bishop of Évora, with permission for a castle to be built there (1217).

With the population density, a new determination to raise a defense dates back to a contract signed between the king D. Dinis (1279-1325), the Mayor, the Judges and the Council of the Town of Arraiolos (1305), which stipulated the obligation to build, around the town, "207 fathoms of wall, three fathoms high and one fathom wide; and to make in the said wall two dark gateways with their doors, and with two square cubes in each door".

These works began in 1306, with a sum of 2,000 pounds granted by the monarch, and the design was designed by D. João Simão. Thus, in 1310, the year in which the sovereign confirmed the Charter, (...) the work was completed in stone and lime and in good defense, built on a conical hill, elevated above all its neighbors and picturesquely crowned, at the apex, by the ancient Igreja Matriz do Salvador.

The castle began to be abandoned from the 14th century onwards, as it was a windy, cold place, reputed to be unpleasant to live in. The king D. Ferdinand (1367-1383) tried to remedy this situation by granting special privileges to its inhabitants (1371). These measures, however, proved useless, as not even closing the gates at night, depriving residents outside of the sacraments, managed to prevent the depopulation of the fortification.

After the outcome of the crisis of 1383-1385, the domains of the town and its castle were donated to the Constable D. Nuno Álvares Pereira (1387), awarded the title of Count of Arraiolos. Between 1385 and 1390, several military expeditions by the Constable against Castile departed from here.

From the 16th century to the present day

At the end of the 16th century the castle was still inhabited, closing every night at the sound of the bell (1599). At that time, a large number of new homes were already spreading across the neighboring slopes. At the beginning of the 17th century, however, it was already unguarded, seeing its building materials looted and housing a corral in its Patio de Armas.

In 1613 the castle and its buildings were in an advanced state of ruin, according to complaints from the City Council Officers at the time.

At the time of Restoration of Portuguese independence, under the reign of D. João IV (1640-1656), the town wall and its castle underwent remodeling work for strategic needs (1640). A few years later, in 1655, the castle was once again in ruins, with the barbican fallen, the Keep cracked and abandoned, and the Mayors' Palace uninhabitable.

A century later, the earthquake of 1755 increased its damage.

In the 19th century, its Patio de Armas served as a cemetery for victims of cholera morbus in the region (1833).

At the beginning of the 20th century it was classified as a National Monument, by Decree published on June 23, 1910. Between 1959 and 1963, the castle and walls of Arraiolos were partially restored by the General Directorate of National Buildings and Monuments (DGEMN).

Features

The complex, comprising the fortification of the Paço dos Alcaides and the walled enclosure, has a quadrangular plan, with elements of the style Romanesque and the Gothic style.

Embedded in the northern section of the wall, the Paço dos Alcaides, with a square layout, is dominated by the Torre de Menagem. This is divided internally into four floors, topped by adarve protected by merlons. It is connected to the east side by the guard houses, overlooking the door to the Plaza de Armas, and to the west by the palace inns.

The solid battled wall, wide and of regular height, describing an ellipsoidal shape, is currently well preserved. Originally, there were two doors:

• the Porta da Vila (or the barbacã), to the south, today reduced to a large opening in the wall; and
• the Porta de Santarém, to the northwest, in Gothic style, flanked by two cubelos or turrets.

There also appears to have been a false door or wicket on the east side, where the wall is in some ruins.

The Clock Tower, enriched with a spire at the time of D. Manuel (1495-1521), It appears to be one of the cubes of the old barbican gate, the other being supplied by the large keep.

The Church of the Savior stands out in the castle's parade ground.

A local tradition claims that there is a secret underground passage that connects the castle to the Convent of Our Lady of the Assumption (Convento dos Lóios).