Óbidos Castle

Óbidos Castle: Visit us

Óbidos Castle history and heritage

It is attributed to the Castle of Óbidos Roman origin, probably based on a castle.

It was later fortification under Arab rule.

After being conquered by Christians (1148), it was repaired and enlarged several times.

During the reign of King Manuel I, his mayor ordered the construction of a palace and altered parts of the castle.

In the Paço dos Alcaides, the windows of beautiful Manueline cut-out open to the interior of the courtyard stand out.

The chimney in the main room and the portal surmounted by the royal arms and the Noronha family are still from his time, flanked by two armillary spheres.

Paço suffered heavy damage from the 1755 earthquake.

In the twentieth century it was in total ruin having been recovered to install the Pousada (the first inn in the State in a historic building).

Located in what today is the parish of Santa Maria, town and municipality of Óbidos, its history is much older.

The place in antiquity had already been inhabited by people whose names we learned at school, such as the Lusitanians, Romans, Visigoths and Muslims (there is even an archaeological station near the village that officializes the Romans' stay in these lands).

It was the Muslims who built a walled fortress and it was conquered by the first Portuguese king - D. Afonso Henriques, in 1148.

With the history of the reconquest the castle underwent some works carried out by King D. Sancho I, the same that "passed" to the village in 1195 its Charter of Charter.

As time went by and after the reigns of Afonso II and D. Sancho I, D. Dinis offers the village of Óbidos to his queen as a dowry and from that moment the village gets the name "Casa das Rainhas", an act that it was stopped only in the year 1834.

The Óbidos Castle was severely punished with the 1755 earthquake and underwent a major restructuring in the 20th century, where much of its walls were rebuilt.

One of the stories connected with the castle and its walls is the former name given to the people of Óbidos - Toupeiros, as it is said that there was a network of tunnels beneath the walls that allowed the supply of the village when it was under siege.

Take advantage and find out more about the Religious Heritage of the town of Óbidos or the other annual events that will delight you! The Chocolate Festival and Vila Natal are 2 good examples ...

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