The Castle of Torres Vedras
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The original building had the presence of two Roman cisterns and its first walls were built by the Arabs.
During the conquer of the castle and taken by the Christians in 1148 (by the first Portuguese king, Afonso Henriques), the walls were destroyed, having been rebuilt immediately in order to prevent the entry of the Arabs during the siege of 1184.
This castle had several modifications during the medieval and modern times, as the construction of the Church of Santa Maria.
In the reigns of the kings Dinis, Fernando and Manuel I the castle had it's main interventions, and was added the royal shield of King Manuel I with his coat of arms and the two armillary spheres surmounted by Cross of the Order of Christ on the entrance door.
In the 16th century a semicircular turret was built on the southeast side, with only two floors, having inside a vaulted room.
The walls were very damaged by the earthquake of 1755 that destroyed Lisbon and several other locations nearby.
During the French Invasions in 1809, it's structure was reinforced and integrated into the Torres Vedras Lines for Lisbon defense against Napoleon's troops and had an important role in the success of defeating the enemy.
In 1846 the fort was bombarded by the troops of the Duke of Saldanha, in the "Battle of Torres Vedras" with a burst of such dimension and strength (the gunpowder stored inside exploded) that it was mostly destroyed.
It remained occupied by regular troops being it's Quarters, until the late 19th century, and repaired several times.
In 1929 it's property was delegated to the City Council and is now classified as national monument.
The following photos are of the remains of this Castle, aged more than 1000 years, and were taken by me at the city of Torres Vedras, Portugal
During the conquer of the castle and taken by the Christians in 1148 (by the first Portuguese king, Afonso Henriques), the walls were destroyed, having been rebuilt immediately in order to prevent the entry of the Arabs during the siege of 1184.
This castle had several modifications during the medieval and modern times, as the construction of the Church of Santa Maria.
In the reigns of the kings Dinis, Fernando and Manuel I the castle had it's main interventions, and was added the royal shield of King Manuel I with his coat of arms and the two armillary spheres surmounted by Cross of the Order of Christ on the entrance door.
In the 16th century a semicircular turret was built on the southeast side, with only two floors, having inside a vaulted room.
The walls were very damaged by the earthquake of 1755 that destroyed Lisbon and several other locations nearby.
During the French Invasions in 1809, it's structure was reinforced and integrated into the Torres Vedras Lines for Lisbon defense against Napoleon's troops and had an important role in the success of defeating the enemy.
In 1846 the fort was bombarded by the troops of the Duke of Saldanha, in the "Battle of Torres Vedras" with a burst of such dimension and strength (the gunpowder stored inside exploded) that it was mostly destroyed.
It remained occupied by regular troops being it's Quarters, until the late 19th century, and repaired several times.
In 1929 it's property was delegated to the City Council and is now classified as national monument.
The following photos are of the remains of this Castle, aged more than 1000 years, and were taken by me at the city of Torres Vedras, Portugal
Flutterbydee › Looks to be an interesting place :)
bibinvarghese › i want to visit too :)
Alex › I'm not far from you ?
LiaF7 › Updated with more of my photos.
Maydelene › Wow! Very Nice..
