Castle of Melgaço

Parish de Vila e Roussas

Background

In Melgaço there is a whole tradition of legends of witches, enchanted Moors and Suevi princesses, heroines from Minho, such as the legend of Inês Negra, or even tales and fables of fantastic creatures, such as arganões and other beings with magical powers, similar to the sculptures of monsters and dragons, found in Monte de Prado, on the riverside, by professor Paulo de Souza Pinto, whose characteristics are in every way similar to the prows of Viking ships, which raided the area several times, as well as the rest of the maritime and riverside coast of northern Portugal and Spain. This popular culture has been passed down orally over generations, and is currently in decline.

The medieval castle

The construction of the castle dates back to 1170, by order of " Afonso I of Portugal (1112-1185). The first document, however, to refer to the town is the Charter that was issued to it by the sovereign in 1183 (and not 1181 as has been repeated due to a transcription error), guaranteeing its inhabitants (at their own request) privileges similar to those enjoyed by the Galician fiefdom of Ribadavia. From then on, the border town progressed rapidly, so much so that the original castle was completed at the beginning of the 13th century, with the authors dividing it between the years 1205 and 1212, the year in which, together with other neighbouring towns, it faced the invasion of the forces of the Kingdom of León in the context of the dispute between D. Afonso II (1211-1223) and his sisters. In addition to the inhabitants themselves and royal support, the resources of the Monastery of Longos Vales, in Monção, and the Monastery of Fiães, in Melgaço, contributed to this constructive campaign.

His son and successor, Sancho II of Portugal (1223-1248) left the appointment of the mayor in the hands of the Municipality, a privilege that Afonso III of Portugal (1248-1279), when granting the town a second charter in 1258, once again claimed for the Crown. The construction of the town's fence, which began in 1245 and whose western section was completed in 1263, was part of a major campaign of works undertaken by this sovereign, who updated the castle's defenses, once again with the support of the Monastery of Fiães. The epigraphic plaque on the main gate, marking this last year, records the identities of the person responsible for the works, Mayor Martinho Gonçalves, and his architect, Fernando, Master of Stonework.

In 1361, transit between Portugal and Galicia had to be made via Melgaço, a fact that reveals its importance at the time.

In the context of the crisis of 1383-1385, the town and its castle followed the trend of northern Portugal, supporting D. Beatriz of Portugal (1373-1419) and John I of Castile (1358-1390). At the beginning of 1387, governed by Álvaro Pais Sotto-Maior, a Castilian mayor, they were besieged by Portuguese troops under the command of John I of Portugal (1385-1433), falling after a strenuous resistance of almost two months. As a result of this siege, the local legend of the Minho heroine Inês Negra emerged, a brave woman of the people who joined the troops of John I of Portugal against the supporters of Castile.

In 1492, during the last years of the reign of John II of Portugal (1455-1495) and before the Portuguese Inquisition was established in the country, Melgaço was one of only five places on the Portuguese border where Sephardic Jews who were fleeing or expelled by the Spanish Inquisition could enter.

Years later, under the reign of D. Manuel, the town's defences and its castle were also depicted and depicted by Duarte de Armas in the Book of Fortresses, including the three towers and two gates of the castle.

From the 20th century to the present day

A fortificação setecentista

In the 17th century, in the context of the Portuguese Restoration War of Portuguese independence, the town's defences underwent work to adapt to advances in artillery, receiving bastioned lines that surrounded the medieval enclosure.

From the 20th century to the present day

It is classified as a National Monument by Decree published on June 23, 1910, and the town wall was classified in the same way, with publication on February 19, 1926.

The intervention of the public authorities, however, only came to be felt in the 1960s, maintaining the constructive characteristics of the complex.

Recently, with the development of projects to enhance the historic center of the town, the castle's keep was refurbished as a museum center, displaying the testimonies obtained through archaeological research.

Features

The castle has a circular layout, unusual in the country, divided into three areas. The walls, which have two gates, are topped by prismatic Battlements and reinforced by three towers, the main one facing the urban center, with a pentagonal section. The complex is dominated by the keep.

The keep has a quadrangular plan, isolated in the center of the parade ground. Both it and the surrounding wall were completely rebuilt, and its Romanesque characteristics can be seen simply from the design of this complex: a solid square tower isolated in the center of the walled enclosure. The tower is divided internally into three floors, illuminated by a few gaps. The crowning is made by a balcony with Battlements, today refurbished as a viewpoint for the archaeological museum established in the tower's dependencies.

With regard to the doors, there are two:

The main gate, to the west, which is larger, leads to the parade ground, where a cistern opens, where the mayor's office would be located; and the gate of betrayal, to the north, smaller. Part of the Barbican in front of the main gate still remains, as do the towers that flanked one of the gates in the enclosure. Thanks to recent archaeological research, which has uncovered significant sections of the Gothic wall, we can now get an idea of its original layout.