Castle of Seda

Castle of Seda
Castelo de Seda
General information
Country Portugal

The Castle of Seda (Portuguese: Castelo de Seda) is a medieval castle located in the civil parish of Seda, in the municipality of Alter do Chão, in the Portuguese district of Portalegre.

It is classified by IGESPAR as a Site of Public Interest.

History

Antiquity

The dozen tapirs discovered in the area indicates human settlement reaching back to prehistoric times. During the Roman occupation of the region, he village saw the construction of the Vila Formosa during the first century and the second century.

[1]

The Medieval Castle

During the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the region was conquered by the forces of King Alfonso Henriques (1185-1211) in 1160. The land was later donated to the Sovereign Order of the Knights Templar, who had aided in the endeavour.

Under the reign of King Afonso III (1248-1279), control of Seda was transferred to the Knights of the Order of Avis (1279) under Ferdinand Soeiro, who immediately granted a charter.

During the reign of John I of Portugal, John I granted a royal charter to the village on 30 October 1427, something that was renewed by King Manual I (1495-1521). The village was elevated to a county seat under the Order of Avis, a fact that was ended in 1836.

Modern day

The castle has a medieval wall surrounding a courtyard and contains the remains of a room. The walls are made of shale masonry, mortared lime without battlements, reinforced by three circular plain towers. These remains lie among gardens and backyards of houses on the street from the castle, and a steep slope that is now a derelict farm. To protect the castle from complete ruin, the government classified the castle as a Site of Public Interest by decree on 26 February 1982.[2][3]

References

  1. ↑ "DGPC | Direção Geral do Património Cultural". www.patrimoniocultural.pt. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
  2. ↑ "Monumentos". monumentos.pt. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
  3. ↑ "DGPC | Direção Geral do Património Cultural". www.patrimoniocultural.pt. Retrieved 2016-02-12.

Coordinates: 39°11′35.163″N 7°47′13.221″W / 39.19310083°N 7.78700583°W / 39.19310083; -7.78700583

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