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Description
Castelo de Portel
Portel - Évora / Alentejo / Portugal

© Filipinha - All rights reserved

- MY IMAGES MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM WITHOUT MY WRITTEN PERMISSION -

Portel Castle I :thumb276105205: filipagrilo.deviantart.com/art…

O Castelo de Portel terá sido construído no reinado de D. Dinis, mas o início da construção poderá ter ocorrido com D. Afonso III, por volta de 1261.

Durante a crise de 1383-1385, devido à morte do rei D. Fernando, sem deixar herdeiros masculinos e sua filha D. Beatriz, casada com o rei de Castela, ter reclamado o trono português, o que significava a perda da independência, a vila e o seu castelo tomaram o partido de D. Beatriz.

Esta crise tinha como resolução, a possibilidade de subir ao trono, o filho do Rei Pedro I e Inês de Castro, a viver em Castela, ou João, Grão-Mestre de Aviz, filho de D. Pedro I e da aia de Inês de Castro, Teresa Lourenço, optando-se pelo segundo, o que originou uma guerra com Castela.

Em 1384, o Condestável, D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, reconquista a povoação de Portel e obriga à rendição do castelo, que viria a ser doado, por D. João I ao condestável.

Nos séculos seguintes, esta fortificação foi perdendo a importância militar, arruinando-se e mesmo depois de ser classificado como Monumento Nacional, partes da estrutura desabaram.

A Direcção Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais, tem procedido a várias intervenções de restauro e de acordo com a Casa de Bragança, a quem pertence o castelo, foi feita também uma campanha arqueológica no seu interior.

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The county of Portel is located in the south of the District of Évora, almost equal distance between the cities of Évora and Beja (at 40 and 35 kms respectively) to which it is linked by the main road IP2. In administrative terms, the county is divided into eight parishes: Alqueva, Amieira, Monte do Trigo, Oriola, Portel, Santana, S. Bartolomeu do Hill and Vera Cruz.

Situated at the border between the High and Low Alentejo, the county gains most of its physical characteristics from the Portel mountains, a geological feature shaped like an elongated horseshoe with its tips pointing westward. Between the two lines of mountains there is a zone of lowlands irrigated by numerous waterways.

As regards woodland, the county is characterized by a predominance of oak groves (both cork oaks and holm oaks). The mountainsides are covered with Mediterranean-style vegetation (the species found there are largely responsible for the particular quality of the local honey) and there are also large stretches of olive groves, the basis of one of the county’s most significant sources of wealth, namely its high quality olive oil.

The mark of man can be seen in two important reservoirs, Alvito and Alqueva, which mark the western and easternmost limits of the county respectively.

Historically, the county of Portel dates from the middle of the 13th century, when in 1257, D. João Peres de Aboim, later known as D. João de Portel, came into possession of an extensive area, detached from the county of Évora. This became the county of Portel when the town was granted its charter in 1262. Considerably later, in the middle of the 19th century, its boundaries were extended to include a new area from the former county of Oriola.

The town of Portel practically came into existence with D. João de Portel, and developed in the shade of the castle, founded or remodeled by him. It was taken over by the Crown in 1301 during the reign of Dinis, but later, in 1385, fell into the possession of D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, who in turn passed it on, in 1422, to his grandson D. Fernando. From that moment, Portel belonged to the House of Bragança.

Built on a high hill, the fortifications contain two rows of walls. An outer wall made of loam, surrounds the Old Town and the castle, which was transformed in the 16th century into a fortified palace.

With time, however, the Old Town within the walls was gradually abandoned. A new settlement developed, first just outside the outer walls on the slopes of the hill and then spreading downwards in a northeasterly direction, because of the highways leading to Évora. Later, in the modern age, a new urban area developed to the south of the historical centre, regular in shape.

The most significant monument in Portel town is certainly the fortifications on the hill, dominated by its eight-sided castle and the impressive keep, supposedly erected during the reign of D. Dinis. As for the great loam wall surrounding the hill, this is believed by some to be Arab in origin, while others argue that it was built by D. João de Portel.

As for Portel’s religious buildings, the most significant are: the Church of the Misericord (17th century); the Chapel of St Anthony (16th – 17th centuries), whose interior is decorated with 17th century tiles; the Church of the Holy Spirit (16th century), the Mother Church (18th century) and the convent church of Nossa Senhora do Socorro (beginning of 17th century), amongst others. Other important buildings include several houses dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries and, especially, stately homes from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Throughout the county, there are many places in the Portel mountains (such as St Peter’s Hermitage or the heights of S. Bartolomeu de Outeiro) which offer magnificent views of the surrounding areas, and there are also a number of isolated chapels. Of the village churches, some (such as the parish churches of Amieira, Oriola, Santana and S.Bartolomeu de Outeiro) date back to medieval times but were restored in the Manueline era.

However, the most significant church in the whole county, in historical, architectural and religious terms, is certainly the church of Vera Cruz, which began as a Visigoth temple in the 6th-7th centuries. The monastery of Vera Cruz de Marmelar was one of the most important medieval sanctuaries in the country, famous because of its relic of the Holy Cross, which it still holds today.

Finally, on a different level, we should not overlook the importance for the county, both economically and as a tourist attraction, of the reservoir of Alqueva.

Description
Castelo de Portel
Portel - Évora / Alentejo / Portugal

© Filipinha - All rights reserved

- MY IMAGES MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM WITHOUT MY WRITTEN PERMISSION -

Portel Castle I :thumb276105205: filipagrilo.deviantart.com/art…

O Castelo de Portel terá sido construído no reinado de D. Dinis, mas o início da construção poderá ter ocorrido com D. Afonso III, por volta de 1261.

Durante a crise de 1383-1385, devido à morte do rei D. Fernando, sem deixar herdeiros masculinos e sua filha D. Beatriz, casada com o rei de Castela, ter reclamado o trono português, o que significava a perda da independência, a vila e o seu castelo tomaram o partido de D. Beatriz.

Esta crise tinha como resolução, a possibilidade de subir ao trono, o filho do Rei Pedro I e Inês de Castro, a viver em Castela, ou João, Grão-Mestre de Aviz, filho de D. Pedro I e da aia de Inês de Castro, Teresa Lourenço, optando-se pelo segundo, o que originou uma guerra com Castela.

Em 1384, o Condestável, D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, reconquista a povoação de Portel e obriga à rendição do castelo, que viria a ser doado, por D. João I ao condestável.

Nos séculos seguintes, esta fortificação foi perdendo a importância militar, arruinando-se e mesmo depois de ser classificado como Monumento Nacional, partes da estrutura desabaram.

A Direcção Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais, tem procedido a várias intervenções de restauro e de acordo com a Casa de Bragança, a quem pertence o castelo, foi feita também uma campanha arqueológica no seu interior.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The county of Portel is located in the south of the District of Évora, almost equal distance between the cities of Évora and Beja (at 40 and 35 kms respectively) to which it is linked by the main road IP2. In administrative terms, the county is divided into eight parishes: Alqueva, Amieira, Monte do Trigo, Oriola, Portel, Santana, S. Bartolomeu do Hill and Vera Cruz.

Situated at the border between the High and Low Alentejo, the county gains most of its physical characteristics from the Portel mountains, a geological feature shaped like an elongated horseshoe with its tips pointing westward. Between the two lines of mountains there is a zone of lowlands irrigated by numerous waterways.

As regards woodland, the county is characterized by a predominance of oak groves (both cork oaks and holm oaks). The mountainsides are covered with Mediterranean-style vegetation (the species found there are largely responsible for the particular quality of the local honey) and there are also large stretches of olive groves, the basis of one of the county’s most significant sources of wealth, namely its high quality olive oil.

The mark of man can be seen in two important reservoirs, Alvito and Alqueva, which mark the western and easternmost limits of the county respectively.

Historically, the county of Portel dates from the middle of the 13th century, when in 1257, D. João Peres de Aboim, later known as D. João de Portel, came into possession of an extensive area, detached from the county of Évora. This became the county of Portel when the town was granted its charter in 1262. Considerably later, in the middle of the 19th century, its boundaries were extended to include a new area from the former county of Oriola.

The town of Portel practically came into existence with D. João de Portel, and developed in the shade of the castle, founded or remodeled by him. It was taken over by the Crown in 1301 during the reign of Dinis, but later, in 1385, fell into the possession of D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, who in turn passed it on, in 1422, to his grandson D. Fernando. From that moment, Portel belonged to the House of Bragança.

Built on a high hill, the fortifications contain two rows of walls. An outer wall made of loam, surrounds the Old Town and the castle, which was transformed in the 16th century into a fortified palace.

With time, however, the Old Town within the walls was gradually abandoned. A new settlement developed, first just outside the outer walls on the slopes of the hill and then spreading downwards in a northeasterly direction, because of the highways leading to Évora. Later, in the modern age, a new urban area developed to the south of the historical centre, regular in shape.

The most significant monument in Portel town is certainly the fortifications on the hill, dominated by its eight-sided castle and the impressive keep, supposedly erected during the reign of D. Dinis. As for the great loam wall surrounding the hill, this is believed by some to be Arab in origin, while others argue that it was built by D. João de Portel.

As for Portel’s religious buildings, the most significant are: the Church of the Misericord (17th century); the Chapel of St Anthony (16th – 17th centuries), whose interior is decorated with 17th century tiles; the Church of the Holy Spirit (16th century), the Mother Church (18th century) and the convent church of Nossa Senhora do Socorro (beginning of 17th century), amongst others. Other important buildings include several houses dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries and, especially, stately homes from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Throughout the county, there are many places in the Portel mountains (such as St Peter’s Hermitage or the heights of S. Bartolomeu de Outeiro) which offer magnificent views of the surrounding areas, and there are also a number of isolated chapels. Of the village churches, some (such as the parish churches of Amieira, Oriola, Santana and S.Bartolomeu de Outeiro) date back to medieval times but were restored in the Manueline era.

However, the most significant church in the whole county, in historical, architectural and religious terms, is certainly the church of Vera Cruz, which began as a Visigoth temple in the 6th-7th centuries. The monastery of Vera Cruz de Marmelar was one of the most important medieval sanctuaries in the country, famous because of its relic of the Holy Cross, which it still holds today.

Finally, on a different level, we should not overlook the importance for the county, both economically and as a tourist attraction, of the reservoir of Alqueva.