Castle of Monsanto
| Castle of Monsanto | |
|---|---|
| Castelo de Monsanto | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Monsanto, Portugal |
| Country | Portugal |
| Completed | 12th century |
| Owner | Republic of Portugal |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Knights Templar |
The Castle of Monsanto (Portuguese: Castelo de Monsanto) is a medieval castle located in the civil parish of Monsanto e Idanha-a-Velha, municipality of Idanha-a-Velha, district of Castelo Branco, in the former Portguese province of Beira Baixa.
It is classified as a National Monument.
At the top of the granite mountain of Monsanto, on the right bank of the river frontier Ponsul, this medieval castle dominates the historical village of Monsanto (Idanha-a-Nova). The architectural highlight some stately mansions and temples, and the ruins of the Capela de São Miguel in the Romanesque style.
History
Background
Little is known about the early occupation of this site. Although traditionally the castle is traceable to a prehistoric fortress, later Romanized, and the town of San Lorenzo at the foot of the hill, no other trace confirms a pre-medieval occupation.
Medieval castle
At the time of the Christian Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, Afonso I of Portugal (1112–1185) took possession of this region, where they established the border with the kingdom of León and the Almohad Caliphate. To save it, the areas of Idanha-a-Velha and Monsanto were donated to the Knights Templar with the responsibility to repopulate and defend:
- "Alfonso, remarcable king of the Portuguese" (Portugalensis Rex)", son of Henry and Queen D. Teresa and grandson of the great and illustrious Emperor of Hispania, for us to master Galdino and all the brothers of the Knights Templar who are in my kingdom, I make a wide and giving very strong in the region of Idanha [-a-Velha] and Monsanto with the limits: Following the course of the river and between Erges my kingdom and the 'legions' to enter the [river] Tagus and the other party following the course of water [river] Zêzere River which also enters the river Tagus (...). " (Letter of Donation on November 30, 1165.)
It is attributed to this period that the construction of the Castle of Monsanto started, under the guidance of Grand Master of the Order, Gualdim Pais. It then tabled a donjon to the center of the parade ground, surrounded by walls similar to those that still can be observed in Castle of Almourol, Castle of Pombal or the Castelo de Tomar, its contemporaries. The fact is that in the case of Monsanto, the donation was short-lived, since the sovereign, in 1172, donated these fields and its castle to the Order of Santiago ("facio cartam donationis de castello meo proprio quad dicitur Mons Sanctus"). The castle, identified with the village, is again mentioned in the Letter of Provincial Council (Carta de Foral), passed by the sovereign in 1174. This decree was confirmed by his son and successor, Sancho I of Portugal (1185–1211), and Afonso II of Portugal (1211–1223) in 1217.
Denis of Portugal (1279–1325) is attributed to the action of reconstruction and expansion of its defenses.
With the outbreak of the 1383–1385 Crisis, according to the chronicler Fernão Lopes, Monsanto was a village that had kept the party of Queen Beatrice. Later, however, he lists the town among those who joined the party of John I of Portugal, already in 1384, extolling his loyalty (Lopes, Chronicle of John I).
Under the reign of King Manuel I of Portugal (1495–1521), the castle and town defenses were figured by Duarte de Armas (Livro das Fortalezas, the Fortresses' Book), c. 1509), with walls strengthened by five towers, the tallest, the center of the keep. In this structure, few elements have survived.
From Restoration War to the Present
Although there is abundant information on the evolution of the architectural monument, their structure was modernized by adding two defensive curtain walls in the period of the Portuguese Restoration War at the end of the 17th century. It is also during this period that the remodeling of the Chapel of Our Lady of the Castle took place.
In the early 18th century, in the context of the War of the Spanish Succession, Archduke Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor from Austria claimed the Spanish crown as Charles III, supported by Peter II of Portugal (1667–1706) from Philip V of Spain. This lead in the spring of 1704 to the Franco-Spanish army of 10,000 men, under the command of General D. Francisco Ronquillo, subduing invaded Portugal in sequence Salvaterra do Extremo, Idanha-a-Nova, Idanha-a-Velha and Monsanto (Idanha-a-Nova). Later that year, at the end of the season, the Portuguese response under the command of the Marquês das Minas, resumed all positions. Monsanto, under the command of Monsieur Lavernier, was resumed June 14, 1704.
In the early 19th century, at the time of the Peninsular War (1807–1914), a new campaign of remodeling of the defensive works was held in Monsanto. In 1810, a report held that the fort was considered within Portugal to be "impregnable".[1] In this period, a ratio of work performed drafted by Major Eusebio Furtado Candide (1813), indicates the demolition of five towers and erection of three new batteries to strengthen the protection of the gateway, a bastion parallel to the wall and the use the church as castle barn. Years later, the explosion of gunpowder stored here caused severe damage to the castle, aggravated by the collapse of a granite boulder, thereby also causing the collapse of part of the wall. With the extinction of the Municipality of Monsanto (1853), the castle lost its importance and was unguarded.
The castle and the walls of Monsanto are classified as part of the National Monuments of Portugal by Decree published on September 29, 1948.
Characteristics
The architectural lines are characteristic of designs influenced by the Knights Templar, much like the castles of Almourol, Idanha, Pombal, Tomar and Zêzere, its contemporaries. Built at an altitude of 758 meters above sea level, the castle shows design adapted to its terrain with walls reinforced by several square towers. Its wall lengths are protected by railings.
Not a lot of the original castle remains. Inside the keep, there is an access stairs to the parapet that leads to the Chapel of Our Lady of the Castle, which was refurbished in the seventeenth century.
Legend associated with it
The castle is connected to the tradition of the main celebration of Monsanto: the Feast of the Holy Cross. Originally a secular tradition linked to the Spring cycle, it was Christianized and associated with a legendary castle siege. According to some versions, the siege was by the troops of Praetor Lucio Emilio Paulo in the late second century BC. In some sources, it was by an attack by the Moors around 1230. It was even suggested on minor raids by the kingdom of Castile.
Despite the variations, the main story stays the same. In any event, the besiegers enemies sought to win by starving the inhabitants. Tradition states that the siege was already prolonged for seven long years, when only a few bits of food remained. One of the women then suggested a desperate ploy to deceive the enemy, fed veal with the last wheat, and launching it with fanfare over the walls of the castle in the direction of the besiegers. Smashing against the rocks, the calf belly spread wheat abundantly. With this maneuver, the enemy realized that the defenders were still miraculously provided food, protected by divine providence. They lifted the siege and pulled out of the region.
This episode is often celebrated on May 3rd. Each year on this date, the women of the village dress up in their best clothes and wave marafonas (colored dolls with cross) to the sounds of popular songs. Inside the castle, white pots, symbolizing the calf, are catapulted outside, symbolically reliving the salvation of the village.
References
- ↑ Staff (31 August 1810). "Portugal". French Papers. The Times (London). p. 3 (col. 2). Retrieved 7 September 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
Coordinates: 40°02′08″N 7°06′50″W / 40.0356°N 7.1139°W