Castle of the Moors
Castelo dos Mouros
Lisbon,Greater Lisbon,Lisbon in Portugal
The north-facing wall of the Castle of the Moors, perched on top of the Sintra Mountains, showing the rectangular towers, including theRoyal Tower (top left)
Site information
Type	Castle
Owner	Portuguese Republic
Operator	Parques de Sintra Monte da Lua S.A.[1]
Open to the public	Public
Location
Coordinates	38°47′33″N9°23′22″W / 38.79250°N 9.38944°W /38.79250; -9.38944
Site history
Built	8th century
Materials	Granite,Limestone with"mixtum vittatum"

TheCastle of the Moors (Portuguese:Castelo dos Mouros) is a hilltop medieval castle located in thecentralPortuguesecivil parish ofSanta Maria e São Miguel, in the municipality ofSintra, about 25 km (16 mi) northwest ofLisbon. Built by theMoors in the 8th and 9th centuries, it was an important strategic point during theReconquista, and was taken by Christian forces after the fall of Lisbon in 1147. It is classified as aNational Monument, part of theSintra Cultural Landscape, aUNESCO World Heritage Site.

The castle was constructed during the 8th and 9th centuries, during the period ofMuslim Iberia, as the central place in territory that was primarily agricultural, and necessary to protect its population.^[2][3][4]

In 1031, after the loss ofCórdoba to theAlmoravid dynasty, the king of Badajoz opted to transfer toAlfonso VI of León and Castile a few territories on the Iberian peninsula (among them Sintra) in order to gain an alliance with the Christian king.^[2] This transfer did not result in any security, and the castle was lost to the invading Almoravid.

After theconquest of Lisbon in (1147) by forces loyal toAfonso Henriques, the castle surrendered voluntarily to Christian forces.^[2][5] Afonso Henriques entrusted the castle's security to 30 inhabitants, granting them privileges in theforal ('charter') signed by the monarch in 1154.^[2][5] The charter suggested that settlers should occupy and inhabit the castle, as a mechanism for guaranteeing the region's security and development.

During the second half of the 12th century, the chapel constructed within the walls of the castle became the parish seat.^[2] This was followed by remodelling and construction under the initiative of KingSancho I of Portugal.^[2]

In 1375 KingFerdinand I of Portugal, under the counsel of João Annes de Almada, ordered the rebuilding of the castle.^[2] While the structure was well fortified by 1383, its military importance was progressively diminishing as, more and more, the inhabitants abandoned the castle for the old village of Sintra.

While the chapel was still being used as a centre of religious activities at the beginning of the 15th century, by 1493 this chapel was abandoned and later used by the small Jewish community of the parish.^[2] This was followed in the 16th century by the transfer of the ecclesiastical parish of São Pedro from the castle to the new parochial church in the village. The Jews occupying and using structures in the castle were expelled byManuel I of Portugal, and the castle was abandoned.^[2]

The1755 Lisbon earthquake caused considerable damage to the chapel and affected the stability of the castle. Visiting the chapel, Francisco de Almeida Jordão described the chapel (in 1768) as having a "principal door in the east, and in the south another smaller door, and a window. In addition to a painted image on the altar, there was another of rock which, already exists in the hermitage of Santa Eufémia, where they took it".^[2][6] An 1830 lithograph by Burnett immortalized the chapel's place in the Castle.^[2]

By 1838 the towers were already in ruins when in 1840Ferdinand II of Portugal began the task of conserving and improving the condition of the castle, in which he committed 240réis annually.^[5] He consolidated the walls, reforested the spaces, created nooks and manicured spaces and conserved the chapel.^[2] Along the south flank of the chapel he built a monument to collect the bones discovered during the public works, planting a tree in the central nave of the chapel. These reforms in the enclosure were overseen byWilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege, but likely made the archaeological exploration of the territory difficult.^[5]

At the end of the 19th century the administrator of the Forestry Service, Carlos de Nogueira, authorized several projects in the castle and in the chapel.^[2]

In 1939 the DGEMN became involved in the reconstruction of the castle walls, in addition to the lateral door of the chapel.

With an eye towards a fledgling tourist market, in 1954 a few of the cliffs were cleared to establish a picnic area near the castle, and in 1965 a transformer was installed to provide illumination.^[2]

In 1979 archaeological excavations in the Chapel of São Pedro were begun by the cultural services of Portugal, which discovered the existence of medieval funerary tombs, dating to the turn of the 13th century.

A dispatch by the Ministry of Culture, on 26 June 1996, declared the area of the Castle as a zone of special interest (Portuguese:Zona Especial de Protecção do imóvel).^[2]

During the summer of 1986, scouts were involved in projects to consolidate the walls with cement and clean the grounds, supported by the CMS.^[2]

In 2001 there were various interventions associated with cleaning the property, clearing undergrowth and forest overgrowth, and the installation of an electrical box along one of the walls.^[2]

Panoramic view from atop a castle wall in 2019, showing the highest point of the castle in the distance right of center, and Sintra in the valley below

Situated on the top of the Sintra Mountains, it has a panoramic view of the municipality ofSintra, and on a clear dayMafra andEriceira. It is accessible fromSanta Maria e São Miguel by a protected gate and turnstile, or across a road from thePalace of Pena.^[2] The castle is located within the limits of theSintra-Cascais Natural Park, on the north flank of the Sintra Mountains, where the slopes are at most 40% gradients. The locally knownSerra da Sintra, consists of an eruptive massif with an abundance ofgranite,syenite,gabbro anddiorite rock formations, with soils consisting of lithic,humic, cambic, normal, and granite (Mng) components.^[2]

The climate is characterized by lower temperatures and elevated precipitation, due to proximity to the ocean, its relief and dense vegetation. The local vegetation is dense and diverse, with a large percentage of exotics introduced during the 16th century byD. João de Castro, and in the 19th century by Ferdinand II and Francis Cook.^[2] Further, the fauna is characterized by a similar diversity, and was integrated into the royal estates and hunting grounds, including the Tapada dos Bichos, Tapada do Inhaca, Tapada do Borges, Pinhal do Prior and Tapada do Forjaz, Pinhal do Sereno, Pinhal do Tomado and Pinhal do Vale dos Anjos.^[2]

Within the proximity of the castle are many other sites, including the Garden of Pena (Portuguese:Parque da Pena), the Estate of Penha Verde (Portuguese:Quinta da Penha Verde), the Estate of Regaleira (Portuguese:Quinta da Regaleira), the Estate of Relógio (Portuguese:Quinta do Relógio) and the Park of Monserrate (Portuguese:Parque de Monserrate), among others.^[2] The Moorish Castle and other properties in the region act as the principal focus of tourism, the principal activity in the region.^[2]

The castle is an irregularly planned military outpost that follows a 450-metre perimeter on top of a mountainous cliff, oriented southwest to northwest. It consists of a double line of military walls that meanders over the granite terrain of the promontory. Its place on the hilltop, surrounded by and including the natural and exotic vegetation, accentuates theRomantic character of the place. The Moorish Castle, due to its position and design, is considered along withSantarém, one of the principal points of the military plan of Belata (the Muslim province which corresponds to the Ribatejo and Estremadura).^[5] The property was remodelled and expanded over time, resulting in a Romantic-era ruin that included damage caused by time and the public works ofFerdinand II.^[2] The towers, which initially included two floors, has a modified appearance, without many of the internal divisions or roofing typical of the period. However, the location of the turrets seem to coincide with the design represented in the engravings ofDuarte de Armas.

The outer walls open near Abelheira (west of Tapada dos Bichos), form a main access door, where several paths wind around the hilltop of the castle. A second ring of walls reinforces the castle with both circular and square turrets, thick wall battlements and railings crowned with pyramid-shaped merlons. At the second wall is the main entrance to the castle, protected by two turrets and battlements. Near these secondary walls and entrance are the main ruins of the old buildings, corresponding to the cellars, animal pens and cistern. The subterranean cistern, accessible from a three-metre accessway, is 18 metres long by 6 metres wide, and 6 metres in height, where water was collected from openings on its "roof".^[5] The interior walls are punctuated by five rectangular towers and one circular tower, surmounted by pyramidal merlons, while surrounding these structures are remnants of older constructions.^[5] A small door, normally covered in underbrush, opens to the northern façade of the castle, corresponding to theTraitors Gate, accessing the main "military square" within the structure.^[2] In the southwest corner is the highest tower, known as theroyal tower.

Along the perimeter of the castle exist various bins or silos, originating from the Arab occupation, many of which are plant covered.^[2]

Achapel with rectangularnave and narrow, lowerpresbytery lies outside the secondary wall, not too far from the entrance. These ruins were constructed oflimestone and masonry, and the interior is accessible from the western or southern façades. The southern wall is highlighted by an arched doorway, supported by colonnades and decorative capitals, with vegetation or fantastical animal motifs (gryphons andbasilisks).^[2][5][7] The northern façade, with a 1.5 metre opening, corresponds to a primitive door, elevated owing to the accentuated terrain.^[2] A triumphal arch based on double columns, similar portal in the south, includes carved capitals with phytomorphic bezels and vestiges of a door.^[8] The main chapel has a cradle vault with remains of frescoes, representing a halo in the sky with a figure corresponding to the patron saint, surrounded by floral and geometric motifs, all surrounded by a frieze with geometric designs. Alongside the area designated for the oratory, is a small rectangular niche for religious equipment.^[2] The fact that the chapel was located within the walls of the castle led to the tradition that the structure served as mosque prior to theReconquista.^[5] Although it is likely that there may have existed a place of worship for the Muslim population, there is no specific association with this building.^[2][5][9]

The climate in the castle resembles the climate experienced on the rest of theSintra Mountains. Winters are cool and rainy, averaging between 12 °C (54 °F) in the daytime, and 6–7 °C (43–45 °F) at nighttime. Though higher in altitude, temperatures belowfreezing are uncommon, as nighttime temperatures are relatively mild. Summers are cool to warm and dry, with temperatures between 21–24 °C (70–75 °F) in the daytime, and 15 °C (59 °F) at night. Compared to the city ofLisbon, the castle is cooler year-round, with less sunshine and more precipitation, humidity and fog. Fog is very common, especially in the month of June (seeJune Gloom). November and December are the wettest months.^[10]

• Castles in Portugal
• Castle of Silves
• São Jorge Castle

Notes

Sources

• Cunha, António A.R. da (1838),Cintra pituresca ou memória discritiva da villa de Cintra, Collares e seus arredores (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal
• Castro e Sousa, A.D. (1843),Investigação ao Castelo, situado na Serra de Sintra (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal
• Jordão, Francisco de Almeida (1874),Relação do Castello e Serra de Cintra e do que ha que ver em toda ella (in Portuguese) (2nd ed.), Coimbra, Portugal{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Leite de Vasconcelos, J. (1897), "Museu Ethnologico Português",O Archeologo Português (in Portuguese), vol. 3, Lisbon, Portugal{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Juromenha, Visconde de (1905),Cintra Pitoresca ou Memoria Descritiva da Vila de Colares e seus Arredores (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Pereira, Alves (1951),Arquivo do Concelho de Sintra (in Portuguese), Sintra, Portugal{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Sousa, Tude (1951),Mosteiro, Palácio e Parque da Pena na Serra de Sintra (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Fontes, Joaquim (1955),Exposição de Arte Sacra do Concelho de Sintra (in Portuguese), Sintra, Portugal{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Correira de Campos, J.A. (1972),A arqueologia árabe no país e o II Congresso Nacional de Arqueologoa (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Costa, Francisco (1976),O Foral de Sintra de 1154 (in Portuguese), Sintra, Portugal{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Serrão, Vitor (18 April 1980), "Um ignorado templo pré-Românico: A Capela de S. Pedro do Castelo dos Mouros",Jornal de Sintra (in Portuguese)
• Serrão, Vitor (28 April 1980), "Um ignorado templo pré-Românico: A Capela de S. Pedro do Castelo dos Mouros",Jornal de Sintra (in Portuguese)
• Serrão, Vitor (2 May 1980), "Um ignorado templo pré-Românico: A Capela de S. Pedro do Castelo dos Mouros",Jornal de Sintra (in Portuguese)
• Real, Manuel Luís (1982), "Perspectivas da Flora românica da "escola" Lisbonense. A propósito dos dois capitéis desconhecidos de Sintra, no Museu do Carmo",Separata Sintria (in Portuguese), Sintra, Portugal{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Real, Manuel Luís (1986), "La sculpture figurative dans l'art roman du Portugal",Portugal roman (in Portuguese), vol. I, pp. 33–75
• Gil, Júlio (1986),Os mais Belos Castelos e Fortalezas de Portugal (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Saladanha, António Nuno (1 July 1988), "A Capela de S. Pedro de Canaferrim, em Sintra",Aedificiorum (in Portuguese), pp. 35–39
• Ribeiro, José Cardim, ed. (1996),Sintra. Património da Humanidade (in Portuguese)
• Coelho, Catarina (2000), "A ocupação islâmica do Castelo dos Mouros (Sintra): interpretação comparada",Revista Portuguesa de Arqueologia (in Portuguese), vol. 3, Lisbon, Portugal, pp. 207–225{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Torres, Claudio; Macias, Santiago (1995), "A arte islâmica no Ocidente Andaluz",História da Arte Portuguesa (in Portuguese), vol. 1, Lisbon, Portugal: Círculo de Leitores, pp. 150–177

• https://dspace.ist.utl.pt/bitstream/2295/809092/1/Dissertacao.pdf^{[permanent dead link]}
• http://www.igespar.pt/media/uploads/revistaportuguesadearqueologia/3_1/8.pdf
• Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitetónico - Registo da Unidade de Paisagem da Serra de Sintra

• 9th-century fortifications
• Castles in Portugal
• National monuments in Lisbon District
• Buildings and structures in Sintra
• Ruins in Portugal
• Castles in Lisbon District
• Moorish architecture in Portugal

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