Castle of Almourol
Almourol, Santarém, Portugal
Suggest Place to Visit
5019
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Standing on a granite outcrop 18 m above sea level, on a small island 310 m long by 75 m wide, in the middle course of the river Tagus, slightly below its confluence with the river Zêzere, at the time of the Reconquest was part of the so-called Tagus Line, now the Templar Tourism Region. It is one of the most representative examples of the military architecture of the time, evoking simultaneously the beginnings of the kingdom of Portugal and the Order of the Templars, an association that reinforces the aura of mystery and romanticism. With the extinction of the Order of the Temple the castle of Almourol joins the patrimony of the Order of Christ (that was the successor in Portugal of the Order of the Templars).
With the advance of the reconquest to the south and the extinction of the Order of the Templars in 1311 by Pope Clement V during the reign of King Dinis (1279-1325), the structure passed to the Order of Christ, later losing importance, having various changes.
Victim of the earthquake of 1755, the structure was damaged, coming to undergo more changes during the romanticism of the nineteenth century. At this stage, and following the current philosophy of valuing the works of the past in the light of an ideal poetic vision, the castle was subjected to adulterations of a decorative nature, including the uniform crowning of the walls by battlements and merlons.
The castle was handed over to the Portuguese Army in the second half of the 19th century, under the responsibility of the commander of the Tancos Engineering School, to which he is attached until today.
In century XX was classified like National Monument of Portugal by Decree of 16 of June of 1910. At the time of the Portuguese New State the set was adapted for Official Residence of the Portuguese Republic, here taking place some important official events. To this end, new interventions were promoted in the 1940s and 1950s, reinforcing aspects of an ideology of nationality cultivated by the regime at the time.
The construction, in granite stonework and mortar, is irregular (organic), reflecting the irregularity of the terrain, and has a division demarcated on two levels, a lower exterior and a higher interior.
On the main door of the castle, an epigraphic inscription dated from the era of 1209 (1171), mentions, in addition to the Bra- caean naturalness of Gualdim Pais and his military action against the Muslims in Egypt and Syria, his rise to the leadership of the Order of the Temple in Portugal and subsequent construction of the castles of Pombal, Tomar, Zêzere, Cardiga and Almourol, evidencing that, in that year, the castle of Almourol was, like the others, already built. However, a second inscription, on the inner door, informs that it was in the era of 1209 that Gualdim Pais built the Castle of Almourol. A third inscription, on the sacristy door of the church of the Convent of Tomar, also dating from the 1209 era, similar to the first, except for the enumeration of the castles, which also includes those of Idanha and Monsanto, first, since these last two castles are built after 1171.
Classified as a National Monument, it was during the Estado Novo, Official Residence of the Portuguese Republic.
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