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Last Updated: Nov 6th, 2006 - 10:50:18 |
Tour: Lisbon and the Lines of the Tejo
The conquest of the great city of Lisbon, named for Ulysses himself, in 1147 was the turning point in Portugal’s fight against the Moors. In a century, the last Moorish enclave would fall. The castles in this area range from the pure 12th century island fortress of Almoural to the flamboyant palace-castle at Porto de Mós. It is an area with diverse recreational activities from ocean beaches, river fishing, hiking, and cycling. Some of the most impressive abbeys in Portugal are to be found here as well. Those are found at Mafra, Bélem, Alcobaça, and Batalha. Fine arts and crafts will lure the shopper, as will the great wines and cheeses of the region. Topographically, the area changes from open field to olive and cork orchards in the south to pine forests in the north.
Where to Stay:
Sintra - This town of kings and poets is one of the most enchanting in Europe, with its fanciful palaces, romantic castles, and abundant forests. In such a royal town there is one standout place to stay: The Seteais Palace, an enlightenment monument, and the home to a 1808 treaty under which the British allowed a defeated French Army to flee with their stolen booty. The palace is named for the seven sighs, a reference to the unjust terms allowed by Portugal’s “allies.” Today the palace is a haven of luxury run by the Tivoli chain, and short ride from the town center. In the town numerous fine restaurants and cafés tempt the visitor, as fine art galleries and museums enchant the mind.
Queluz - In a grand peripheral building of the grandest of Portugal’s royal palaces, visitors can marvel at the mid-18th century palace of Queluz. Inspired by Versailles, the great palace is not unequalled by the Pousada, a few miles from Lisboa, and home to a truly remarkable restaurant.
Óbidos - The walled town of Óbidos is a stopping point on many tourist itineraries, but only a select few can stay in the castle’s Pousada. The ruins of the 16th century palace, rich with Manueline touches, are now a luxury Pousada, with a commanding view of the countryside. But, book ahead because the rooms are hard to get in the summer months.
Tomar - The capital of the order of Knights of the Temple, known as the knights Templars, boasts a fine modern hotel with good views of the castle that crowns the hill above it. The four star Hotel dos Templarios is a fine place to spend a few days, with a good restaurant, and a short walk to the historic sites and stores of downtown Tomar.
What to See: South to North
Almoural (Off IP6) - An English knight named Palmeirim was on his way to Constantinople when a storm forced him to seek shelter in the mouth of the Douro. There, he heard tales of a giant called Almoural who held two beautiful princesses, Misaguarda and Polinarda, prisoner in his castle. Palmeirim set off to fight the monster and free the princesses. He arrived to find that another wandering knight, called The Sad Knight, also there to fight for the honor of the ladies. The two fought a bloody duel to a stalemate. Wounded, the two knights retreated. Thus, is the legend of Almoural, a special castle in a nation rich in castles.
Almoural floats on a tiny island in the river Tejo, rising like a dream over the calm waters. It was never attacked and is one of the purest castles to be found in terms of retaining it original design. There most certainly was a fort there even before the arrival of the Romans, and the Moors held the islet briefly. In 1171 Gualdim Pais and his fellow Templars were given the task to build a new castle to solidify the lines of the Tejo that they were in charge of defending. The result was an imposing castle that looked like a stone ship. It rises 18 meters high, and is 310 meter long and 75 meters wide.
With the total defeat of the Moors in 1249, Almoural lost all military importance, and was left to its river and the wind. Soon, legends and ghost stories were told about the place. But, sitting on an islet, vandals, stone thiefs, and invading armies left the castle alone, and it survived in tact into the present. The castle’s plan is simple; one high keep is flanked by a wall on either side and one wall in the middle. A series of small round towers defend the walls, and a double castellated wall juts out like a prow to the east. A small boat carries the visitor to the island for a pittance. Eerie and silent, the enchanted isle remains a place of legends.
Tomar (IC3 and 9) - Tomar’s castle is massive and powerful, much like the knights Templars, which built it 800 years ago. One of the most impressive defensive and religious structures in Portugal today, the castle of Tomar and its Convent of Christ, is a well-maintained glimpse of life in the days of the Reconquest.
Like so many of the towns in the fertile lands between the Tejo and the Mondego, Tomar had many conquerors and builders in ancient times. But, it was here that Gualdim Pais, the Grand Master of the order of Knights of the Temple, chose to build his base in the 12th century. In 1190 a mighty Moorish army caught King D. Sancho I by surprise in Santarém, and besieged him in that city. Tomar was also besieged, but the outnumbered knights Templars turned the tide. After six days the Moors overcame the castle’s first line of defense, and opened a gate that allowed thousands of Moorish warriors to flow into the walls.
The Templars counter attacked, catching the Moorish armies unprepared, and to this day the gate is called “Door of Blood” for the slaughter that ensued. The invasion was beaten off; the king and young nation were saved by the valor of Tomar. In 1321 the Pope disbanded the Templars, but the Portuguese king, D. Dinis quickly created an “Order of Christ,” to take over the assets of the order. The new order would be an integral part of the Portugal’s age of exploration, with Infante D. Henrique (or Prince Henry) becoming Grand Master of the Order. As a result, the town of Tomar prospered and grew with the nation’s fortunes in the 15th and 16th centuries. The kings of Portugal lavished amazing projects on the castle, and it became a symbol for the enthusiasm of Portugal’s golden age. But, as the empire declined so did the order, and it was extinguished in 1834. The castle was abandoned, and it riches were pillaged.
Much remains of the great castle. The 12th century Templar abbey, know as the Convent of Christ, with its round alter, and huge door (made high enough for a knight to attend mass on horseback) is a unique site. The keep, and ruins of the Templars’ castle still tower above Tomar. And, the 16th century portion of the Convent of Christ offers some of the finest examples of Portuguese Manueline architecture. The window behind the abbey is considered the masterpiece of the Manueline movement, and a symbol of Portugal’s age of exploration. The castle walls offer fine views of the town, adjoining parks, and the fine aqueduct that supplied the castle with water. The castle’s gardens are well maintained, and the more recent buildings of the abbey often host art and historical exhibitions. It should be added that Tomar is a monumental city, with fine churches, parks, and a well-preserved historic district.
Sintra (A5) - Two things make this castle so special. The first is its simplicity. It is just a simple circle of ancient walls encircling a magnificent park and palace ruins. The second thing is the site itself, which is atop a rocky point at the very height of the Sintra Mountains. The Romans called it the place of the moon and the sun, for it was both commanding and spectacular. The impossible rise and fall of the mountains seems to ward off all who would dare to cross them. But, it is believed to have been the Moors who erected the walls of the first castle in the 8th or 9th century.
After the sudden fall of the Moorish strongholds of Santarém and Lisboa in 1147 to D. Afonso Henriques, the Moorish garrison fled south, and the Portuguese took the castle without a fight. Battle would elude the castle again in 1382, when a Castilian army pulled back from a siege after a peace accord was signed, and again a year late, when the master of the castle surrendered to another Spanish army. By this time, the location had lost all military significance, and the walls were given over to abandonment. But, the two royal palaces and the cool climate kept the king of Portugal coming back to Sintra, and one such 19th century royal, the Consort D. Fernando II, set up a fund to restore and maintain the site. The castle is in good condition because of such attentions, and welcomes the visitor with a ruined Romanesque chapel built on the sight of a mosque, and the remains of an Arab cistern. The views from the climbing walls are as wild as the mountains, and overlook the charming town of Sintra below, and the fantastic Pena Royal Palace on another cliff.
Ourém (IC9)- Ourém’s castle appears like a wedding cake above the hills that overlook the new town of Ourém. The vibrant brickwork and decoration of the towers mask the tragic tale of Ourém. The old town of Ourém may have been settled in prehistoric times, and by the time of the Moors been fortified. Afonso Henriques took the town, and gave it to his daughter, Teresa. By the reign of D. Dinis the castle had a reputation of being impregnable, and it was soon involved in internal struggles. Thus, the castle and its position soon became one of the most important in Portugal. D. João I gave the title of count of Ourém to his trusted constable of the reign, D. Nuno Álvares Pereira in the peace that followed the Portuguese victory at Aljubarrota. The title was passed to the counts of Bragança in the 15th century, and the castle at Ourém became a gracious palace. But, when King D. João II discovered a Bragança plot to kill him, he reacted quickly and killed the count. The town’s luck got worse in the 19th century when French troops burned the Ourém, and it was never resettled.
The majesty of the intricate brickwork of the castle’s towers enchant today’s visitor. From the valley and new town below, old Ourém looks like an Italian palace. But once the winding road to the castle is conquered, the empty ruins of the abandoned village, and black marks inside the empty towers attest to the town and castle’s fate.
The castle is divided into two sections: First there is the original Moorish/medieval castle with its ruined keep, toothless walls and towers. This portion faces the ruins of a secret passage into the castle, complete with the remains of an ancient dungeon. Beyond that is the imposing 14th century palace of the Counts of Ourém with the great hollow keep flanked by two hexagonal advanced towers. All have decorative balconies with elegant brickwork along the fronts. The view from here is commanding, with the towers of Fátima visible on a clear day. Oddly, the finest brickwork is reserved for the rear of the great tower with a Moorish favor. Indeed, Ourém is a place of contrasts with the glory of one era crumbling due the savages of another. A village that once boasted 2,000 souls and a lavish palace sits alone in the gentle winds of the Serra de Aire.
Porto de Mós (EN362)- The green pepper pot towers of Porto de Mós look like a fairy castle on their small hill, painted into the white rocks of the Serra dos Candours. Yet, this fanciful fort played a serious role in the history of Portugal. Like so many other fortified places, the castle’s origins are ancient and obscure, being occupied by Romans, Moors, and in 1148, the Portuguese.
After taking the castle from the Moors, King D. Afonso Henriques I entrusted it to D. Fuas Roupinho, a figure steeped in legend as a warrior and the founder of the Portuguese navy. There are so many tales of his courage and achievements, that many modern historians believe that there were two men of the same name, one the Alcaide of Porto de Mós and principle at the miracle of Nazaré, and the other, the first Portuguese admiral. In the 14th century, the castle would become home to another hero, Nuno Álves, and the hero of the battle of Aljubarrota that was fought not far from the castle walls. With the peace that the great victory brought came a magnificent transformation to Porto de Mós. A Moorish-Manueline style of fanciful stonework with rich carvings, and an almost Italian splendor the castle became a palace, unequaled in its magnificence. But, abandonment and earthquakes humbled the green tiled towers and white verandas. Today, Porto de Mós has been partially restored, which contrasts with its semi-ruined state.
Leiria (Near A1)- “Leiria, you thief,” says an old song, “You stole my heart. And what do you know, I am happy!” Above the prosperous and thriving city of Leiria presides a royal palace that is a place of romance and legend. Who built the first castle and when is unknown. We do know that D. Afonso Henriques took Leiria in 1135 as he pushed south of the Mondego River and built a new castle. Paio Guterres was given the command with 240 warriors to hold the new frontier against the Moors. But, a new siege saw the castle fall back into Moorish hands, and the Portuguese took it back again. But, a third time the Moors retook the castle of Leiria, and imprisoned Guterres. He escaped, and returned to Coimbra to become a monk. Finally, a stubborn D.Afonso Henriques retook the castle for the final time in 1144 and began to rebuild it so that it might never fall again.
It would become a royal palace, and many a Cortes (or popular assembly) would be called to Leiria in the centuries to come. D. Dinis made it his home, and added a Gothic place and gardens in the walls for his beloved bride, the Sainted Queen Isabel. It became known simply as the royal mountain. The proud castle and its palace would persist until 1808, when the city’s heroic resistance to the invading French ended up leaving Leiria in ruins. The castle of Leiria greets today’s visitor with a partially restored palace, and a haunting roofless church of Our Lady of Pena. It is a peaceful place, left pensive in its memories.
Jayme Henriques Simões, President of Louis Karno & Company, and
frequent visitor to Portugal.
Jayme is the current president of the Public Relations Society of America
Yankee Chapter, and is the 2003 recipient of the Union Leader¹s ³40 Under 40
Award,² which honors New Hampshire¹s outstanding young professionals. Simões
founded the agency in 1999, using capital from a 90-year-old, family-run
business. A Chicago native who graduated with honors from Boston University
with a degree in Communications and Public Relations, Simões speaks
Portuguese and Spanish.
He has served on several not-for-profit boards, including the Hillsborough
Historical Society (president 1995-1996), New Hampshire Lodging and
Restaurant Association (1997), Citizens for Land and Community Heritage
(1999), The New Hampshire Travel Council (2000-present), Dartmouth Hitchcock
Medical Center Assembly of Overseers (2004-present), and he was the
chairperson of The Franklin Pierce Bicentennial Commission.
© Copyright
2006 by Classbrain.com
Keywords: Portugal, Portugal castles, Portugal castle tours, castle tours, Lisbon and the Lines of the Tejo, Sintra, Queluz, Óbidos, Tomar, Almoural, Sintra, Ourém, Porto de Mós, Leiria,
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