Castle of
Pena de Aguiar

Parish of Telões

Background

According to modern archaeological research, early human occupation of this region dates back to prehistoric times. At the time of the Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the conquerors came here, attracted by the presence of gold, silver and lead ores. They were later succeeded by the Visigoths and Muslims, the latter from the 8th century onwards.

The area is home to gigantic granite blocks. The Castle, isolated and impregnable, like an eagle's nest, dominating the fertile Aguiar Valley and the neighbouring mountains, is supported on the highest of them. With the development of towns and cities, at the end of the Middle Ages, the stabilisation of borders and multiple administrative and political reforms.

The medieval castle

The castle was the head of the Land of Aguiar, which later became the Municipality of Vila Pouca de Aguiar, and its name is linked to the Independence of Portugal, when it is believed that its "tenens" was a supporter of Afonso I of Portugal (1112-1185), according to a reference in the medieval hagiography of Santa Senhorinha de Basto. For this reason, the region was invaded and the Castle of Aguiar was besieged by a force from Leon who intended to subject it to the Kingdom of Leon or, otherwise, to capture and replace it. At the time, D.Gonçalo Mendes de Sousa, lord of domains in the lands of Aguiar and Panóias, a companion in arms of Afonso I of Portugal, rushed to help the people of the castle.

Later, under the reign of Afonso III of Portugal (1248-1279), Telões received its Charter (July 10, 1255). During this period, it is considered that the fortification began to lose importance, since from 1258 onwards the population gradually began to free themselves from the burden of maintaining that defense.

The castle underwent several alterations at the end of the 14th century.

In the 16th century, the town lost its administrative importance, since it was included in the Charter granted to Aguiar da Pena in 1515. From this period we know the names of some of the castle's mayors, such as:

• Diogo Lopes de Azevedo;
• Fernão Martins de Souza (from July 17, 1534);
• João de Souza Guedes; and
• Jerônimo de Souza Machado (1583-1594).

From then on, information about the castle ceased, and it is believed that it had ceased to be used for military purposes since the transition from the 16th to the 17th century.

From the 20th century to the present day

It is listed as a National Monument by Decree published on February 26, 1982.

Recently, after undergoing an initial phase of improvement works (lighting of the surrounding area, construction of restrooms and a parking lot), carried out by the Portuguese Institute of Architectural Heritage (IPPAR), at a cost of 175 thousand euros, the area around the castle was reopened (July 21, 2001), with the aim of promoting historical tourism in the region.

At the same time, the City Hall acquired and restored a ruined house to install an Interpretation Center, where information related to the castle and its history will be made available to visitors.

In a second phase, consolidation and restoration work was carried out on the castle grounds, including the walls that were at risk of collapsing, the fencing of the most dangerous areas inside the wall and the construction of metal safety passages. In this way, the local authority intends to create an integrated tourism circuit including the castle, the three Roman mines in Vila Pouca de Aguiar and the rock sanctuary of Panóias, in Vila Real.

Architecture

From what remains of the complex, it is clear that it was an old rock castle, in the Romanesque style, dominated by two towers: one to the north, with a rectangular plan, connected by a semi-circular curtain to the other, to the southeast. In this second tower, with five irregular faces, in the west wall there is a door to the Barbican, whose walls are backed by large boulders. A second opening, in the north wall, communicates with a small parade ground, delimited by both towers.