Castle
of Castro Laboreiro

Parish of Castro Laboreiro

Background

The region has been occupied by humans since prehistoric times, as demonstrated by the abundant megalithic monuments on the plateau northeast of Castro Laboreiro.

Although there is not much historical information, the occupation of this site seems to be linked to the layout of the various Roman roads that had bridges here to cross the rivers in the region (Barreiro stream, Laboreiro river, Cainheiras river, Porto Seco river and others).

At the time of the Christian À época da Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, Alfonso III of León (848-910) donated the domain of Castro Laboreiro, in the first half of the 10th century, to Count D. Hermenegildo, grandfather of Saint Rosendo, for having defeated Vitiza, a local chief who had revolted. During the count's reign, the existing castro (which gave it its name) was adapted to a castle, later returning to Muslim rule.

The medieval castle

In 1141, Afonso I of Portugal (1112-1185) conquered the town of Castro Laboreiro, reinforcing its defense (1145), which became part of the border line of Portugal's domains. Although the details of this defense are unknown, it was completed, according to an epigraphic inscription, during the reign of Sancho I of Portugal (1185-1211). At the beginning of the reign of Afonso III of Portugal, the castle was severely damaged by an invasion by troops from the Kingdom of León (1212).

A town and seat of the municipality between 1271 and 1855, Castro Laboreiro belonged to the county of Barcelos until 1834, and was a commandery of the Order of Christ since 1319. Under the reign of Denis of Portugal (1279-1325), around 1290, its defences were rebuilt, when they assumed their current appearance. At this time, the mayorship of Castro Laboreiro and Melgaço were united, under the responsibility of the Gomes de Abreu family, from Merufe. Later, under the reign of D. Fernando (1367-1383), the sovereign donated this mayorship to Estevão Anes Marinho.

In the 14th century, after the conquest of Melgaço, John I of Portugal (1385-1433) used Castro Laboreiro as a base to stop the incursions of Castilian forces coming from Galicia.

The mayor Martim de Castro was removed from his duties due to complaints from the town's residents (1441).

At the beginning of the 16th century, the castle was depicted by Duarte de Armas, in his Book of Fortresses (c. 1509), and its walls can be seen reinforced by five quadrangular towers. In the center, the keep, also with a quadrangular plan, preceded by another building, with the cistern to the north. Isolated, on a lower level, the village.

From the Portuguese Restoration War to the present day

During the War of Restoration of Portuguese independence, Baltazar Pantoja conquered the castle by surprise, after four hours of battle (May 1666). Having left D. Pedro Esteves Ricarte as Governor of the Square, he surrendered to the 3rd Count of Prado, D. Francisco de Sousa.

Unguarded from 1715 onwards, between 1766 and 1778 it was used by the Count of Bobadela, Governor of Arms of the Province, to collect men and women who refused to present their sons for military service. Around 400 people were held in this detention during this period.

In the context of the Peninsular War, it was garrisoned by troops and armed with four guns (1801). With peace, it was once again left unguarded, beginning its process of abandonment and ruin.

In the 20th century, it was listed as a National Monument by Decree published on March 27, 1944. Later, in the 1970s, archaeological prospecting work was carried out, which revealed evidence of occupation from the High Middle Ages period. Finally, between 1979 and 1981, a small cleaning and consolidation intervention took place on the monument.

Features

Built on top of a hill, at an elevation of 1,033 meters above sea level, it has an approximately oval plan, adapted to the terrain, oriented along a north-south axis.

With Romanesque architecture, it presents Gothic patterns expressed in the integration of cubes and small Turrets in the sections of the citadel wall. The complex comprises two nuclei:

• to the north, on a higher level, the military center integrated by the keep in the center of the parade ground and the cistern. There are two doors in its walls, the main one, to the east, called the Sun Gate; to the north, the Porta da Traição, also known as Porta do Sapo.


• to the south, on a lower level, a secondary enclosure, delimited by a section of walls oriented in an east-west direction. Access is via a full arch bridge on right feet. Its original function was to collect cattle and goods in case of threat, which, according to scholars, is unique in the country and denotes the importance of livestock farming in the region.