The Castle of Montalvão (Portuguese: Castelo de Montalvão) is a medieval castle in the civil parish of Montalvão, municipality of Nisa, in the Portuguese district of Portalegre.

Castle of Montalvão
Castelo de Montalvão
Portalegre, Alto Alentejo, Alentejo in Portugal
Coordinates39°35′44.63″N 7°31′34.69″W / 39.5957306°N 7.5263028°W / 39.5957306; -7.5263028
TypeCastle
Site information
OwnerPortuguese Republic
Open to
the public
Public
Site history
Built12th century

History

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Montalvão was an important settlement in the Alto Alentejo during the first years of the Portuguese monarchy.[1] The need to protect its frontier required that a populational presence was needed to mark the territory, and project a Christian control of the region.[1] The locale, therefore, was under the control of the Command of the Order of Christ, and which originated the castle.[1]

Its construction occurred during the reign of King D. Dinis, but there is evidence that the zone may have had a human presence prior to its formal occupation.[1] The early medieval fortress was not likely a large project, but a simple plan of necessity carried out during the 16th century.[1]

In the 12th century, there already existed defensive structures, which were part of the famous Tagus Line of defenses.[2]

Between 1279 and 1325, the castle was constructed or reconstructed, during the reign of King D. Dinis.[1][2]

Around 1509, Duarte d' Armas sketched the layout of the fortification, highlighting a long curtain of walls, without any tower, and accessible by a single gate.[1][2]

On 22 November 1512, a foral (charter) was issued by King D. Manuel I.[2]

During the 17th century, the main accessway was reconstructed, and in 1640, during the sequence of the Independence War, the castle fell along the main defensive line.[1][2] It obtained its classical look, with rectangular lintel between pilasters supporting an architrave.[1]

In 1834, the municipality of Montalvão was extinguished.[2]

On 1 June 2012, the fortification was included in its respective Special Protection Zone (in announcement 12 203/2012, Diário da República, Série II, 107), classifying the structure as a Monumento de Interesse Público (Monument of Public Interest).[2]

Architecture

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The castle is situated in an isolated urban area, on top of a hill, near the Church of Montalvão.[2]

Its enclosure is dominated by an enormous concrete tower/bunker used for the collection of water. There are vestiges of the wall foundations, towers and cisterns of the medieval castle, survived by some walls, composed of shale.[2] The interior of the fortification is marked by a rectangular, sepulchral ark of stone with one of the faces sculpted with vegetal elements and the cross of Christ in its centre.[2]

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Castelo de Montalvão, IGESPAR – Instituto de Gestão do Património Arquitectónico e Arqueológico (Portuguese Institute of Architectural and Archaeological Heritage), 2015, retrieved 28 March 2016
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Gordalina, Rosário (2009), SIPA (ed.), Castelo de Montalvão (IPA.00027855/PT041212050043) (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: SIPA – Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico, archived from the original on 6 March 2016, retrieved 28 March 2016

Sources

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  • Lobo, Francisco Sousa (1 December 2008), A defesa militar do Alentejo. Monumentos (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: Instituto da Habitação e Reabilitação Urbana, pp. 22–33
  • Mourato, António Cardoso (1980), Montalvão: elementos para uma monografia desta freguesia do concelho de Nisa (in Portuguese), Montalvão, Portugal{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Murta, José Dinis (1994), O castelo de Montalvão (in Portuguese), Nisa, Portugal: Câmara Municipal de Nisa/Delegação Regional da Cultura do Alentejo
  • Rosa, Jorge (2001), Montalvão. Ecos de uma história milenar (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: Colibri
  • Vária. Monumentos (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: Direção-Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais, 2004