Santa Maria da Feira Castle
Encyclopedia
The Castle of Santa Maria da Feira is a Portuguese
castle
in the municipality of Santa Maria da Feira, district of Aveiro. Emblematic of Portuguese medieval military architecture, the Castle of Santa Maria da Feira is one of the monuments that best reflects the diversity of defenses used during the Middle Ages, having been instrumental in the process of Reconquista and autonomy of the County of Portugal
. It has been listed as a National monument since 1910.
temple. Although tombstones and other vestiges encountered in the defensive area confirm the presence of Roman settlement dating back to the early empire, there is no confirmation of the link to other temples. In the vicinty of this site existed the Roman via Olissipo-Bracara Augusta connecting Lisbon and Braga, respectively.
When, in the middle of the 9th century (868), Alfonso III of León
created the administrative and military region, that he called Terra de Santa Maria, he laid its defences in the military fortress that existed there, in Civitas Sanctae Mariae. For many years, the fortress functioned as a forward base in the Christian Reconquista
from the Arab invasions from the south. Twice in 1000, the armies of Al-Mansur
conquered the Castle and destroyed the local population, but they were retaken successively by Christian forces. During the reign of Bermudo III
(1028–1037) Arab continued to attempt to capture the Castle, but were defeated definitively in the Battle of Cesár. The governors, Men Guterres and Men Lucídio developed a giant project to reconstruct the Castle and develop the lands of the Terra de Santa Maria. The Leonese
kings distinguished the population with the Honra de Infanções, an honour at the time only received by the judges, magistrates and councilmen of Lisbon. The first reference to a built structure in this location occurred in the 11th century, in the Chronica Gothorum, identifying the construction of the inferior portion of the keep
and fortress. Since 1117, Feira was the location of one of the most important fairs in Portugal, which, over time, gave the town its name. The fair was established in the shadow of the castle.
The castle was at the centre of the 1128 revolt between Afonso Henriques and his mother Queen Teresa, Countess of Portugal. Teresa had created tensions between the rulers of the Iberian peninsula through conflicts with her sisterUrraca
, and later rebuking Alfonso VII (her nephew), resulting in his invasion of the County of Portugal
. Teresa also alienated the clergy and nobles, pandering to her alliance with Galicia
, through her lover Fernando Pérez, and favouring the ecclesiastical pretensions of the rival Galician Archbishop
of Santiago de Compostela
, Diego Gelmírez
. The clergy and nobility allied themselves with Afonso Henrique pretensions to the stewardship of the County of Portugal over his mother. Pero Gonçalves de Marnel, from a family of landholders, governor of Santa Maria da Feira and alcade of the Castle at the time, was one of these nobles who felt threatened by the growing power of Galicia within the County: he had been substituted as the governor of Coimbra by Fernando Pérez himself, and saw a threat to his wealth, prestige and possessions, and therefore aligned himself and his Castle with the Afonso Henriques at the São Mamede. The Galician-supported forces of the Queen were defeated on 13 June 1128, partly due to the activities that occurred at the Castle.
By 1251, the settlement in Santa Maria da Feira was identified in the royal inventory
( of King Afonso I
.
The castle and lands of Feira were provided as a dowry in 1300 on the nuptials of Isabel of Aragon
in the 12th century.
During the 14th century, the walls were finally constructed, likely at the time Gonçalo Garcia de Figueiredo was alcalde
in 1357.
On 10 September 1372, King Ferdinand donated the lands of Santa Maria to João Afonso Telo de Meneses, Count of Barcelos
. But, in 1383, during the Dynastic Crisis, Menses escapes for Castile, leaving the structure in the hands of Martim Correia. This change later facilitated its capture by men loyal to the Master of Aviz, John, in 1385. On 8 April 1385, the territory comes under the stewardship of Álvario Pereira by King John I
, cousin of the Constable Nuno Álvares Pereira
, before being conceded to João Rodrigues de Sá.
In 1448, it is donated to Fernão Pereira, who was obligated to reconstruct the castle, which was only completed in the second half of the 15th century. Under the Pereiras, the castle was transformed into a palatial residence; the great works which would define the architectural character of the castle date from this period, including the watchtowers, the connical turrets and reinforced defenses.
The fourth Count of Feira
, Diogo Forjaz, orders the marker/inscription that was erected over the barbican
to commemorate the construction of the clock tower (which existed until 1755).
During the 17th century, the construction of internal palacete was concluded (which has since been destroyed: the only remnant being a local fountain). It was also around this time (1656) that Joana Forjaz Pereira de Meneses e Silva, Countess of Feira, ordered the constructed of the octagonal-shapedBaroque
chapel.
But, after 1708, the Counts of Feira were extinct, and their possession were passed onto the Casa do Infantado
, marking its long decline and ruin. Due to abandonment the castle was devastated by a fire on 15 January 1722. Its ruins were purchased during a public sale by General Silva Pereira in 1839. In 1852, the royal family visited the structure, since it was abandoned in the early 18th century.
It was classified as a National Monument as early as 1881. The main pit was excavated at this time (completed in 1877).
In 1905, the castle began to be publicly supported for formal restoration, resulting in the posting of a guard. It was during this period that Drs. Gonçalves Coelho and Vaz Ferreira discovered the early inscriptions from the castles history. During this period, completed around 1907 and later 1909, the castle was restored, the latter by Fortunato Fonseca. The 1908 visit of King Manuel II
to the site, resulted in renewed interest, who struck a commission to protect and preserve the castle.
Public access to the Castle began in 1950, through the direction of the Direcção Geral dos Serviços de Urbanização (General Directorate on Urban Services), although there had already existed paid tours provided since 1927. From 1935 to 1944, DGEMN - Direcção Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (General Directorate for Buildings and National Monuments) completed several public restoration projects at castle: in 1935, under the architect Baltasar de Castro, the parapet
s and merlon
s were cleared, unobstructed, and reconstructed; in 1936, the reconstruction of the walls and the vaulted entranceway to the military square; and in 1939-1944, the demolition of the Counts' palace, excavations and reconstruction of the walls, cistern, pavements and roof of the chapel. On 13 January 1963 the castle was illuminated, through the intiative of engineer Arantes e Oliveira, in the Public Works office, and Galvão Teles, in the Ministry of Education. Minor renovations were completed in 1986.
On 1 June 1992, the property came under the authority of the Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico - IPPAR (Portuguese Institute of Patrimonial Architecture), under decree 106F/92. Over the decades, even after the IPPAR was refashioned into the IGESPAR, the Castle has been monitored, maintained and directed by the Comissão de Vigilância do Castelo de Santa Maria da Feira, who operates tours and tourist-inspired interpretive guides.
Its plan is irregular oval, with protected entranceway, guarded by a barbican
with moat and four addorsed rectangular watchtowers. On its southeastern corner are portions of a minor bastion, while oppoiste it, in the northwest is the hexagonal Baroque chapel. The walls, with small battlements, are circled by a parapet of large stone, with cruciform battlements and embrasure
s.
An arcade gate provides access to the compound and rectangular prison block tower, reinforced with watchtowers on its apexes, with a protected entrance via a patio. An arched door gives access to the buildings and the donjon, reinforced by square towers in wedge-shapes, with access protected by machicolation
s (providing coverage from three-floors) and is topped by a cradle vault, sectioned into four branches by arched corbels. The turrets are finished in small canonical cones with gables.
The chapel, located on the exterior wall adjacent to the main entrance, is a hexagonal-shape two-storey body, with a rectangular annex (itself consisting of a two story body with veranda window doors), both with tiled pivoted roofs, delimited on their extremities by corbel
s. The rectangular annex consists of entrance on the main floor, with block windows and upper-level windows align asymetrically from the door (one on the left, and two to the right on both levels). Directly above this doorway is a bell-tower niche, surmounted by a cross.
The main chapel with an axial portal, consists of pilasters and corebls surrounding the main door, then gabled trim and a pronounced superior semi-circular pediment, which encircles a ocular hexagonal window. This Baroque era landmark, is marked by plain pilasters, wedges, and cyma line with angular pinnacles. The focused interior plan of the chapel includes five rounded arches that houses a central and two lateral alters. The pulpit is a basic with a hexagonal screen of wooden baluster
s.
Also, on an ashlar encountered in 1905, but since disappeared, was an date inscription of 1385. This inscription was first published by Leite de Vasconcelos in "Arqueólogo Português".
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
castle
Castles in Portugal
Castles in Portugal were crucial components of the military across history. The Portuguese learned the art of fortification construction from the Romans and the Moors. The Romans, who ruled and colonized the territory of current-day Portugal for more than 4 centuries, built forts with high walls...
in the municipality of Santa Maria da Feira, district of Aveiro. Emblematic of Portuguese medieval military architecture, the Castle of Santa Maria da Feira is one of the monuments that best reflects the diversity of defenses used during the Middle Ages, having been instrumental in the process of Reconquista and autonomy of the County of Portugal
County of Portugal
The County of Portugal was the region around Braga and Porto, today corresponding to littoral northern Portugal, from the late ninth to the early twelfth century, during which it was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León.-History:...
. It has been listed as a National monument since 1910.
History
Tradition has it that the Castle of Fair stands on the site of an indigenous temple dedicated to the local divinity Bandeve-Lugo Toiraeco, which was later transformed into a MarianMarian devotions
A Marian devotion is a gift of oneself, or one's activities to the Virgin Mary. It is a willingness and desire to dedicate oneself to, or venerate her; either in terms of prayers or in terms of a set of pious acts...
temple. Although tombstones and other vestiges encountered in the defensive area confirm the presence of Roman settlement dating back to the early empire, there is no confirmation of the link to other temples. In the vicinty of this site existed the Roman via Olissipo-Bracara Augusta connecting Lisbon and Braga, respectively.
When, in the middle of the 9th century (868), Alfonso III of León
Alfonso III of León
Alfonso III , called the Great, was the king of León, Galicia and Asturias from 866 until his death. He was the son and successor of Ordoño I. In later sources he is the earliest to be called "Emperor of Spain"...
created the administrative and military region, that he called Terra de Santa Maria, he laid its defences in the military fortress that existed there, in Civitas Sanctae Mariae. For many years, the fortress functioned as a forward base in the Christian Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
from the Arab invasions from the south. Twice in 1000, the armies of Al-Mansur
Al-Mansur
Al-Mansur, Almanzor or Abu Ja'far Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Mansur was the second Abbasid Caliph from 136 AH to 158 AH .-Biography:...
conquered the Castle and destroyed the local population, but they were retaken successively by Christian forces. During the reign of Bermudo III
Bermudo III of León
Bermudo III , king of León , son of Alfonso V of León by his wife Elvira Mendes, was the last scion of Peter of Cantabria to rule in the Leonese kingdom...
(1028–1037) Arab continued to attempt to capture the Castle, but were defeated definitively in the Battle of Cesár. The governors, Men Guterres and Men Lucídio developed a giant project to reconstruct the Castle and develop the lands of the Terra de Santa Maria. The Leonese
Kingdom of León
The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...
kings distinguished the population with the Honra de Infanções, an honour at the time only received by the judges, magistrates and councilmen of Lisbon. The first reference to a built structure in this location occurred in the 11th century, in the Chronica Gothorum, identifying the construction of the inferior portion of the keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
and fortress. Since 1117, Feira was the location of one of the most important fairs in Portugal, which, over time, gave the town its name. The fair was established in the shadow of the castle.
The castle was at the centre of the 1128 revolt between Afonso Henriques and his mother Queen Teresa, Countess of Portugal. Teresa had created tensions between the rulers of the Iberian peninsula through conflicts with her sisterUrraca
Urraca
Urraca or Hurraca is a feminine given name, the same as the Spanish word for magpie, derived perhaps from Latin furax, meaning "thievish", in reference to the magpie's tendency to collect shiny items...
, and later rebuking Alfonso VII (her nephew), resulting in his invasion of the County of Portugal
County of Portugal
The County of Portugal was the region around Braga and Porto, today corresponding to littoral northern Portugal, from the late ninth to the early twelfth century, during which it was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León.-History:...
. Teresa also alienated the clergy and nobles, pandering to her alliance with Galicia
Kingdom of Galicia
The Kingdom of Galicia was a political entity located in southwestern Europe, which at its territorial zenith occupied the entire northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Founded by Suebic king Hermeric in the year 409, the Galician capital was established in Braga, being the first kingdom which...
, through her lover Fernando Pérez, and favouring the ecclesiastical pretensions of the rival Galician Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
, Diego Gelmírez
Diego Gelmírez
Diego Gelmírez was the second bishop and first archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. He is a prominent figure in the history of Galicia and an important historiographer of the Spain of his day...
. The clergy and nobility allied themselves with Afonso Henrique pretensions to the stewardship of the County of Portugal over his mother. Pero Gonçalves de Marnel, from a family of landholders, governor of Santa Maria da Feira and alcade of the Castle at the time, was one of these nobles who felt threatened by the growing power of Galicia within the County: he had been substituted as the governor of Coimbra by Fernando Pérez himself, and saw a threat to his wealth, prestige and possessions, and therefore aligned himself and his Castle with the Afonso Henriques at the São Mamede. The Galician-supported forces of the Queen were defeated on 13 June 1128, partly due to the activities that occurred at the Castle.
By 1251, the settlement in Santa Maria da Feira was identified in the royal inventory
Inquirições
Inquirições are the Royal Portuguese commissions. They are put forward by the crown in accomplishing edicts.Afonso II instituted inquirições to investigate the nature of holdings and to recover whatever had been illegally taken from the crown...
( of King Afonso I
Afonso I of Portugal
Afonso I or Dom Afonso Henriques , more commonly known as Afonso Henriques , nicknamed "the Conqueror" , "the Founder" or "the Great" by the Portuguese, and El-Bortukali and Ibn-Arrik by the Moors whom he fought, was the first King of Portugal...
.
The castle and lands of Feira were provided as a dowry in 1300 on the nuptials of Isabel of Aragon
Isabel of Aragon
Isabella of Aragon was the daughter of James II of Aragon and his second wife Blanche of Anjou. Queen consort of Frederick I of Austria. She was a member of the House of Aragon-Life:...
in the 12th century.
During the 14th century, the walls were finally constructed, likely at the time Gonçalo Garcia de Figueiredo was alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
in 1357.
On 10 September 1372, King Ferdinand donated the lands of Santa Maria to João Afonso Telo de Meneses, Count of Barcelos
Count of Barcelos
Count of Barcelos is a title of nobility, the first to be granted in Portugal. It was created in 1298 by king Denis I and initially it was a non hereditary title, although most of the holders belonged to the Teles de Menezes family...
. But, in 1383, during the Dynastic Crisis, Menses escapes for Castile, leaving the structure in the hands of Martim Correia. This change later facilitated its capture by men loyal to the Master of Aviz, John, in 1385. On 8 April 1385, the territory comes under the stewardship of Álvario Pereira by King John I
John I of Portugal
John I KG , called the Good or of Happy Memory, more rarely and outside Portugal the Bastard, was the tenth King of Portugal and the Algarve and the first to use the title Lord of Ceuta...
, cousin of the Constable Nuno Álvares Pereira
Nuno Álvares Pereira
Dom Nuno Álvares Pereira, O. Carm. , also spelled Nun'Álvares Pereira, was a Portuguese general of great success who had a decisive role in the 1383-1385 Crisis that assured Portugal's independence from Castile...
, before being conceded to João Rodrigues de Sá.
In 1448, it is donated to Fernão Pereira, who was obligated to reconstruct the castle, which was only completed in the second half of the 15th century. Under the Pereiras, the castle was transformed into a palatial residence; the great works which would define the architectural character of the castle date from this period, including the watchtowers, the connical turrets and reinforced defenses.
The fourth Count of Feira
Count of Feira
Count of Feira was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, in 1481, by King Afonso V of Portugal, and granted to D...
, Diogo Forjaz, orders the marker/inscription that was erected over the barbican
Barbican
A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from...
to commemorate the construction of the clock tower (which existed until 1755).
During the 17th century, the construction of internal palacete was concluded (which has since been destroyed: the only remnant being a local fountain). It was also around this time (1656) that Joana Forjaz Pereira de Meneses e Silva, Countess of Feira, ordered the constructed of the octagonal-shapedBaroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
chapel.
But, after 1708, the Counts of Feira were extinct, and their possession were passed onto the Casa do Infantado
Casa do Infantado
Created in 1654 by King John IV of Portugal, the Casa do Infantado was a wealthy Portuguese seigniory that consisted mainly of the material goods, lands and properties confiscated from the House of Vila Real, supporters of Spain during the Portuguese Restoration War...
, marking its long decline and ruin. Due to abandonment the castle was devastated by a fire on 15 January 1722. Its ruins were purchased during a public sale by General Silva Pereira in 1839. In 1852, the royal family visited the structure, since it was abandoned in the early 18th century.
It was classified as a National Monument as early as 1881. The main pit was excavated at this time (completed in 1877).
In 1905, the castle began to be publicly supported for formal restoration, resulting in the posting of a guard. It was during this period that Drs. Gonçalves Coelho and Vaz Ferreira discovered the early inscriptions from the castles history. During this period, completed around 1907 and later 1909, the castle was restored, the latter by Fortunato Fonseca. The 1908 visit of King Manuel II
Manuel II of Portugal
Manuel II , named Manuel Maria Filipe Carlos Amélio Luís Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga Francisco de Assis Eugénio de Bragança Orleães Sabóia e Saxe-Coburgo-Gotha — , was the last King of Portugal from 1908 to 1910, ascending the throne after the assassination of his father and elder brother Manuel...
to the site, resulted in renewed interest, who struck a commission to protect and preserve the castle.
Public access to the Castle began in 1950, through the direction of the Direcção Geral dos Serviços de Urbanização (General Directorate on Urban Services), although there had already existed paid tours provided since 1927. From 1935 to 1944, DGEMN - Direcção Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (General Directorate for Buildings and National Monuments) completed several public restoration projects at castle: in 1935, under the architect Baltasar de Castro, the parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
s and merlon
Merlon
In architecture, a merlon forms the solid part of an embattled parapet, sometimes pierced by embrasures. The space between two merlons is usually called a crenel, although those later designed and used for cannons were called embrasures.-Etymology:...
s were cleared, unobstructed, and reconstructed; in 1936, the reconstruction of the walls and the vaulted entranceway to the military square; and in 1939-1944, the demolition of the Counts' palace, excavations and reconstruction of the walls, cistern, pavements and roof of the chapel. On 13 January 1963 the castle was illuminated, through the intiative of engineer Arantes e Oliveira, in the Public Works office, and Galvão Teles, in the Ministry of Education. Minor renovations were completed in 1986.
On 1 June 1992, the property came under the authority of the Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico - IPPAR (Portuguese Institute of Patrimonial Architecture), under decree 106F/92. Over the decades, even after the IPPAR was refashioned into the IGESPAR, the Castle has been monitored, maintained and directed by the Comissão de Vigilância do Castelo de Santa Maria da Feira, who operates tours and tourist-inspired interpretive guides.
Architecture
The isolated castle is situated on a small hilltop overlooking the urban valley of Feira. Being a transitional castle, there have been many military adaptations to site's defences over the years.Its plan is irregular oval, with protected entranceway, guarded by a barbican
Barbican
A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from...
with moat and four addorsed rectangular watchtowers. On its southeastern corner are portions of a minor bastion, while oppoiste it, in the northwest is the hexagonal Baroque chapel. The walls, with small battlements, are circled by a parapet of large stone, with cruciform battlements and embrasure
Embrasure
In military architecture, an embrasure is the opening in a crenellation or battlement between the two raised solid portions or merlons, sometimes called a crenel or crenelle...
s.
An arcade gate provides access to the compound and rectangular prison block tower, reinforced with watchtowers on its apexes, with a protected entrance via a patio. An arched door gives access to the buildings and the donjon, reinforced by square towers in wedge-shapes, with access protected by machicolation
Machicolation
A machicolation is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones, or other objects, could be dropped on attackers at the base of a defensive wall. The design was developed in the Middle Ages when the Norman crusaders returned. A machicolated battlement...
s (providing coverage from three-floors) and is topped by a cradle vault, sectioned into four branches by arched corbels. The turrets are finished in small canonical cones with gables.
The chapel, located on the exterior wall adjacent to the main entrance, is a hexagonal-shape two-storey body, with a rectangular annex (itself consisting of a two story body with veranda window doors), both with tiled pivoted roofs, delimited on their extremities by corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s. The rectangular annex consists of entrance on the main floor, with block windows and upper-level windows align asymetrically from the door (one on the left, and two to the right on both levels). Directly above this doorway is a bell-tower niche, surmounted by a cross.
The main chapel with an axial portal, consists of pilasters and corebls surrounding the main door, then gabled trim and a pronounced superior semi-circular pediment, which encircles a ocular hexagonal window. This Baroque era landmark, is marked by plain pilasters, wedges, and cyma line with angular pinnacles. The focused interior plan of the chapel includes five rounded arches that houses a central and two lateral alters. The pulpit is a basic with a hexagonal screen of wooden baluster
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
s.
Inscriptions
Throughout the castle grounds are signs and monuments to importance events during the castle's history, including several inscriptions:- An commemorative inscription marking the third century of the Portuguese RestorationPortuguese Restoration WarPortuguese Restoration War was the name given by nineteenth-century 'romantic' historians to the war between Portugal and Spain that began with the Portuguese revolution of 1640 and ended with the Treaty of Lisbon . The revolution of 1640 ended the sixty-year period of dual monarchy in Portugal...
, carved on an ashlarAshlarAshlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
to the right of one doorway in granite, stating: A HISTÓRIA DESTE CASTELO FOI RECORDADA COM GRATIDÃO PELOS PORTUGUESES DE 1940 (The history of the Castle was recorded with gratitude by the Portuguese of 1940); - Ara votive inscription engraved on a copy of Roman altar, with the use of the letter U, instead of a V, with the inscription: BAND VELUGO TOIRAECO LUCIO LATEIVSBLAESUS VLAS.
- Another ara votive inscription with granite, with the writing: DEO TVERACO VOLENTI ARCIVS EPEICI BRACARVS SOLVIT LIBENS (Devoted to the benevolent god Tueracos Arcia, Son of Epeico, Bracari in payment of a vote);
- A commemorative inscription to mark the remodelling works on the castle, incised into granite that integrates a coat of arms, oval frame and gargoyles, over the door of the parade grounds, with the modern epigram O QUARTO CONDE DA FEIRA DOM DIOGO FORJAZ MANDOU FAZER ESTA E O RELÓGIO DAQUELA TORRE NA ERA DE 1562 (The 4th Count of Feira DomDom (title)Dom is a title of respect prefixed to the given name. It derives from Latin Dominus.It is used in English for certain Benedictine and Carthusian monks, and for members of certain communities of Canons Regular. Examples include Benedictine monks of the English Benedictine Congregation...
Diogo Forjaz ordered this and the clock of that tower in the era of 1562). - A modern commemorative incsription on the exterior illumination of the Castle carved in granite (decorated by four metal carnations on the corners and centreed between two bombers), with the statement: AOS 13 DE JANEIRO DE 1963, FOI INAUGURADA A ILUMINAÇÃO EXTERIOR DESTE CASTELO POR SUAS EXCELÊNCIAS OS MINISTROS DAS OBRAS PÚBLICAS - ENGENHEIRO ARANTES E OLIVEIRA - E DA EDUCAÇÃO NACIONAL - PROFESSOR DOUTOR GALVÃO TELES (On 13 January 1963, was inaugurated the exterior illumination of this Castle by his Excellancies of Public Works, Engineer Arantes e Oliveira, and National Education, Professor Dr. Galvão Teles);
- An institutional identification plaque in metal, and screwed into the left pilar of the main gate, that provides access to the circe, stating: MINISTÉRIO DOS ASSUNTOS SOCIAIS. SECRETARIA DE ESTADO DA SEGURANÇA SOCIAL. CENTRO REGIONAL DE SEGURANÇA SOCIAL DE AVEIRO. CENTRO INFANTIL DA FEIRA (Minister of Social Issues. Secretary of State for Social Security. Regional Centre for Social Security in Aveiro. Children's Centre of Feira);
- A commemorative isncription on the chapel, carved between the doorway cornice and the ocular window in limestone: ESTA CAPELA MANDOU FAZER A CONDESSA DONA JOANA FORJAZ PEREIRA DE MENESES E SILVA 1656 (This chapel was ordered built by the Countess Dona Joana Forjaz Pereira de Meneses e Silva 1656).
Also, on an ashlar encountered in 1905, but since disappeared, was an date inscription of 1385. This inscription was first published by Leite de Vasconcelos in "Arqueólogo Português".