Castle of Porto de Mós

Parish of Porto de Mós

Background

It is believed that the occupation of the site dates back to prehistoric times, according to fragments of pottery recovered by archaeological research. From the period of Roman occupation, when the first defense of the settlement is believed to date, coins were collected and Latin inscriptions were identified on two stoneworks. This primitive defense was increased in the following centuries, successively by Visigoths and Muslims.

During the Christian À época da Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, with the forces of King Afonso Henriques (1112-85) advancing to the Tagus River, Porto de Mós became a strategic point in the defense of Leiria and Coimbra. Conquered in 1148, tradition refers to the illustrious King Fuas Roupinho as its mayor. Shortly thereafter, the Moors reconquered this castle, and King Fuas managed to escape and then retake it definitively with reinforcements.

The medieval castle

With the encouragement of settlement under the reign of King Sancho I (1185-1211), the town prospered, and its defenses received significant improvement works. Avid for its rights and duties, it was one of the few Portuguese towns that established themselves as a municipality on their own initiative, independently of the granting of a charter. New works were promoted during the reign of King Dinis (1279-1325), who granted it a charter (1305), when its adaptation to the function of a stately residence began.

During the crisis of 1383-1385, the town and its castle sided with the Master of Avis. The Portuguese forces, under the sovereign's command, camped here on their way to the Battle of Aljubarrota (1385). The town, castle, and their domains were part of the extensive donation of lands and rights made by the sovereign to the Constable, D.À época da Nuno Álvares Pereira . Upon his death, these were bequeathed in his will to his daughter and son-in-law, the first Dukes of Braganza. In the mid- fifteenth century, the son of the 1st Duke of Braganza, D.Afonso, 4th Count of Ourém and 1st Marquis of Valença, taking an interest in several towns in these domains, was responsible for several improvements in Porto de Mós, including the transformation of its medieval castle into a Renaissance manor house, a project that his descendants preserved and expanded.

From the 1755 earthquake to the present day

The castle's defensive structure was severely damaged by the 1755 earthquake and, again, to a lesser extent, by the 1909 earthquake, particularly compromising the north elevation. In the 20th century, it was declared a National Monument by Decree published on June 23, 1910. However, government intervention only began in the 1960s, at the initiative of the Directorate-General of Buildings and National Monuments (DGEMN). A new intervention and restoration campaign took place starting in 2001.

A bid for the new reconstruction was launched in 2004, and the work was completed in 2007.

Architecture

The manor castle of Porto de Mós has an irregular pentagonal plan, in Gothic and Renaissance style. Its wall panels are reinforced at the corners by five towers. The two, on the south side, are topped by green pyramidal spires, while the remaining three are damaged. The parapets of the towers and curtain walls are reinforced by a series of corbels, once topped by battlements.

The south façade features a combination of fifteenth-century Gothic architectural elements. Two windowed towers flank it, and in the space between them is a double balcony with groove vaults, composed of corbeled conopial arches, interrupted in the center by a protruding buttress. Various sculptural elements enrich this area and the adjacent palace rooms. A wide portal opens onto the ground floor. Within the walls, a ruined atrium can be seen, which was formed by a portico with Renaissance columns and pilasters, with the faceted walls of the cistern in the center. Rectangular and ogival doors and windows, as well as other construction and decorative features, reveal the coexistence of styles, as well as similarities with the Palace of Ourém.