Piconha Castle

Parish of Tourém

Background

Piconha Castle is located on the Almena hill east of the present-day parish of Tourém, now in Spain, in the Galician municipality of Calvos de Randín, on the road connecting Randín to Vilar and Vilarinho.

A border castle on the left bank of the Salas River, it was the head of the Piconha Lands, defending the so-called Couto Misto, which passed to Spanish rule through Treaty of Lisbon (1864).

Little is known about the founding of this castle; it is believed that it was built by Dom Alfonso III on the ruins of an old Luso-Roman fort. It was later restored by Dom Dinis, who confirmed the great privileges granted to the residents by Dom Afonso II, with the obligation to defend it.

The medieval castle

During Portugal's independence, the settlement of the borders with Galicia intensified. At that time, in the 12th century, Piconha Castle was an important border fortification, designed to guard, along with the castles of Portelo, Montalegre, Monforte de Rio Frio, and Chaves, the defense of access to the valleys of the Cávado and Tâmega Rivers.

The Tourém Charter is attributed to King Sancho I (1185-1211) in 1187, as head of the Lands of Piconha.

Under the reign of King Manuel I (1495-1521), the town and its castle are featured by Duarte de Armas (Book of Fortresses, c. 1509). Piconha received a New Charter, issued by the sovereign, in 1515.

From the Portuguese Restoration War to the present day

During the Portuguese Restoration War, this castle, along with other neighboring towns in the region, was demolished by Spanish troops (1650).

On the eve of the Peninsular War, however, the castle still remained in the tradition, as the title of mayor of Piconha Castle was received on December 20, 1800, by João António de Sousa Pereira Coutinho Yebra e Oca, 9th major of Vilar de Perdizes and the Hospital de Santa Cruz, a nobleman of the Royal Household (on October 14, 1799).

According to the terms of the Treaty of Lisbon (1864), with most of both lands having passed to Spanish rule in 1865, the Piconha region was abolished in 1866.

Today, on Outeiro da Piconha (Galicia), we are left with the ruins of the foundations of its medieval castle, which lacks classification by the government and archaeological research. Currently, only the cistern (from the Arabic Al Jib, pocket or bag) carved into the rock is visible.

For centuries, there was a small republic on the border of the kingdoms of Portugal and Spain. It dared to have autonomy, its own institutions, and a freedom difficult to imagine from this far, considering our knowledge of our history. Couto Misto was, until 135 years ago, an independent state. Today, part is Portuguese (Trás-os-Montes) and the other is Spanish (Galicia). It could easily have been a kind of Andorra, San Marino, or even Monaco, but it chose to divide itself and yield to the conquering impulses of its "neighbors." Unfortunately, today it is nothing more than a desolate valley where there are a handful of villages... By "PtJornal"