Castle of Caminha

Parish de Caminha

Background

It is believed that early human occupation of the site dates back to prehistoric times. At the time of the Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, it was equipped with a fortification, the foundations of which date back to the 4th and 5th centuries.

In 1060, I. Magno de León designated Caminha as the seat of a county which he called "Caput Mini" and around half a century later, Edereci located "a strong castle on an island upstream from the mouth of the Minho" and another "above the previous one on solid and eminent land". This is believed to be confirmed in the Inquisitions: "in the settlement of Santa Maria de Caminha, in Vilarélio, is the old castle of Caminha" subordinated for centuries to the See of Tui.

The medieval castle

These defenses were expanded and reinforced since the Christian À época da Reconquest of the peninsula, with the toponym Caminha being recorded since the 10th century, referring, however, to the area of the current parish of Vilarelho, to the east of the current Caminha, where, at the top of Coto da Pena, the remains of the primitive castle, built between the 10th and 11th centuries, can be identified. With the progressive increase in coastal security, concomitant with the development of economic activities, the town developed towards the mouth of the River Minho, in a lower, more fertile area with more dynamic access to the sea.

In the context of the campaigns against Castile, its settlement and defense were encouraged under the reigns of Afonso III of Portugal (1248-1279), Denis of Portugal (1279-1325) and John I of Portugal(1385-1433), due to the strategic value that this neighboring town represented for the kingdom.

When the crisis of 1383-1385 came to an end, with the nobility of the northern region of Portugal taking sides with Castile, the good men of Vila Nova de Cerveira, Caminha and Monção sent messages to Constable D. Nuno Álvares Pereira declaring themselves to be true Portuguese, voluntarily handing over these towns to him. The new sovereign, John I of Portugal, is credited with expanding the enclosure, with the town being guarded by a second set of walls.

Under the reign of Manuel I of Portugal (1495-1521), the town and its castle are depicted by Duarte de Armas (Book of Fortresses, c. 1509).

The eighteenth century fortress

In view of the Restoration of Portuguese independence, Caminha's bordering position regained strategic value. Thus, the War Council of D. João IV (1640-1656) modernized its defenses, providing it with an extensive line of bastions and turrets:

• to the northwest - with a new bastion next to the Main Church of Caminha; and
• to the south - integrating the works erected during the reign of John I of Portugal.

The sections of walls that have survived to this day, partly from the Middle Ages and partly from the 18th century, were classified as Property of Public Interest by Decree published on 24 January 1967.

Features

The remains of the walls of Caminha show the construction characteristics of the Roman fortifications of the 4th and 5th centuries, having been extended and reinforced during the reigns of Afonso III of Portugal, Denis of Portugal and John I of Portugal.

The medieval wall around the town, with an approximately oval plan, was reinforced by ten cubelos. It had three gates, each defended by a tower that overlooked them:

• to the east, the so-called Porta do Sol, communicated with the riverside area and the shipyards;
• to the west, the so-called Porta do Mar, communicated with the port quay;
• to the south, the so-called Porta de Viana, through which one went to Viana do Castelo, and which constituted the main access to the town.

The tower that defended the latter was the most robust of the group, with a square plan, and which, in the beginning, constituted the keep. The coat of arms (symbol of royal authority) was inscribed on it and a sacred image (symbol of popular devotion) was housed. From the 17th century onwards it housed the town's public clock, and was renamed the Clock Tower. The bell of this clock was cast in 1610 and is housed in the pyramid that then topped the tower. With the Restoration, John IV of Portugal had a stone image of Our Lady of the Conception placed on this door.