Castle of
Alcácer do Sal

Parish of Alcácer do Sal

Background

The primitive human occupation of the site dates back to prehistory (Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age periods), according to archaeological evidence. Later, it experienced Phoenician presence, when it was called Bevipo, and Roman rule. The town minted its own currency in the mid-1st century BC, with the inscription Imperatoria Salacia, dating from that time, according to some authors, the change of the name of the town to Salácia, when it controlled the route that connected the Tagus River estuary with the Alentejo and Algarve regions. After the barbarian invasions, the town was in turn occupied by Muslims from 715, who reinforced its defenses, becoming one of the main ports on the Atlantic coast south of the Tagus. It is said that, in 966, a fleet of Normans entered the mouth of the Sado River as far as Alcácer do Sal, having given up the usual raid in view of its defense.

The medieval castle

At the time of the Christian À época da Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the same year as the conquest of Lisbon from the Moors (1147), Alcácer do Sal was attacked by Afonso I of Portugal (1112-1185) at the head of a small assault force of 60 knights who, intending to exploit the element of surprise, were vigorously repelled by the defenders, who managed to wound the sovereign. The region still resisted the Portuguese attacks for a few years, particularly in 1151, 1152 and 1157, only falling in 1158, with the help of the knights of the Order of Santiago da Espada.

To better defend and populate the region, Sancho I of Portugal (1185-1211) donated this town and its castle to that military Order (1186). Meanwhile, still during the reign of this sovereign, the forces of the Almohad Caliphate under the command of Caliph Yakub Almanzor reconquered the Algarve and, advancing north, successively wrested from Portuguese rule the Castle of Alcácer do Sal, the Castle of Palmela and the Castle of Almada (1190-1191). Only after the Battle of Navas de Tolosa (1212), in which a decisive victory was recorded for the peninsular Christians against the Moors, were the lands lost beyond the border line that stretched from the River Tagus to Évora reconquered.

Alcácer do Sal and its castle were only definitively conquered during the reign of Afonso II of Portugal (1211-1223) by a group of Portuguese forces, coordinated by the Bishop of Lisbon, Soeiro Viegas, and by a fleet of crusaders under the command of William I, Count of Holland, on October 18, 1217, after a siege of more than two months. After the conquest, this sovereign confirmed the previous donation by Sancho I of Portugal of the domains of Alcácer do Sal, Almada, Arruda and Palmela to the Order of Santiago, a donation later confirmed by Afonso III of Portugal (1248-1279) in the person of Master D. Paio Peres Correia and the commander (24 February 1255).

In the 13th century, D. Dinis (1279-1325), as part of the remodelling of the country's defences, extended and reinforced the defences of this town. In the context of the crisis of 1383-1385, the town and its castle sided with the master of Avis, having quartered troops under the command of the constable D. D. Nuno Álvares Pereira.

In the 15th century, the castle lost its military function and was the scene of some expressive episodes in the History of Portugal:

• in the reign of John II of Portugal (1481-1495), the Perfect Prince was informed here of the conspiracy orchestrated by the Duke of Viseu; and


• Manuel I of Portugal (1495-1521) aqui desposou, em segundas núpcias, a infanta D. Maria de Castela (30 de Outubro de 1500).

From the 16th century to the present day

During the succession crisis of 1580, the defenses of Alcácer do Sal, unprepared for artillery fire, did not offer serious resistance to the troops of Philip II of Spain (1580). The castle housed the Araceli Carmelite Convent, which remained there until 1834.

Without any function, the old medieval castle was progressively consumed by time and abandonment. Classified as a National Monument by Decree published on 23 June 1910, it has undergone consolidation and restoration work in our days, carried out by the Directorate-General for National Buildings and Monuments (DGEMN).

Currently in good condition, its facilities house the Pousada Afonso II of Portugal, part of the Pousadas de Portugal chain, which opened in 1998.

Archaeological Crypt Twenty-seven centuries of history intersect in the Archaeological Crypt of the Castle of Alcácer do Sal, opened on 18 April 2008.

Located under the convent of Aracaeli, the Archaeological Crypt offers a true journey through time, with more than 27 centuries of history. In the area of the Convent that underwent intervention, medieval walls from the post-reconquest Christian period were found, partially based on Roman walls which, in turn, overlap the oldest pre-existing structures dating back to the Iron Age. The mass of ruins provides an interpretation of the eras that overlap there, from the oldest, in the 7th century BC. C. to the most modern, in the 19th century.

A building that stands out in this set of structures is the discovery of a building that, due to its dimensions, assumes the characteristics of a sanctuary, with occupation from the Iron Age and Roman Period (4th century BC and 2nd century AD). In one of the cells of this sanctuary, an altar with ceramic lamps and plates was identified, as well as a small tank from which a table defixionis was removed, a small plaque with spells or curses written on it.

Features

An example of Islamic military architecture, the castle stands at an elevation of sixty meters above sea level, with an approximately elliptical plan, reaching an extension of 260 meters on its largest axis and 150 meters on its smallest. In the remaining sections of the walls, there are remains of around thirty stone masonry towers and other defensive structures, including a barracks similar to the one in Badajoz Castle, evidence of various construction periods. Among the towers, the so-called Dagger Tower stands out, as it features this weapon carved into a stone. The Clock Tower and the Algique Tower were built from rammed earth, rising to a height of 25 metres.

The contemporary chronicles mention that there were two gates in the walls, one to the north (Porta Nova) and the other to the east (Porta de Ferro).

The medieval citadel of Alcácer do Sal, occupied by a religious institution until the nineteenth century, was built on structures attributable to all previous occupations, with emphasis on the Islamic period, when the first structures of the castle were built.