The Castle of Penamacor () is a medieval castle located in the civil parish of Penamacor, in the municipality of Penamacor, Portuguese district of Castelo Branco.
History
The origins of the castle date to reign of King D. Sancho I, around 1189. At that time, the castle was settled and donated to D. Gualdim Pais, Master of the Order of the Temple (Knights Templar), resulting in the establishment of a fortification on a pre-existing castro. Its construction dates from this period (or following the donation) when the fortification's courtyard was begun, similar to other Templar donations, the site had a military significance associated with a period of colonization or defense. Contemporary excavations in the Cimo da Vila area have still not affirmatively indicated its period of occupation. It was A foral (charter) was conceded to Penamacor in 1199 by King D. Sancho I, which was ratified in 1209, following the similar model of Ávila/Évora. It was likely during this period that the castle was ordered built by D. Sancho I.
The second line walls, the keep tower and urban circus was also expanded in 1300 during the reign of King D. Denis. Little remains of the early medieval castle, and those remnants that do date to the period of the early Middle Ages, during the monarchy of King D. Dinis, when the walls and significant keep tower were constructed. Meanwhile, the barbican and other elements date from the reigns of King D. Ferdinand I and King D. John I, between the late 13th century and early 14th century.
In 1379, the couto was instituted.
In the 15th century, King D. Afonso V created the countship of Penamacor, bestowing it on D. Lopo de Albuquerque.
The 1496 Inquirição (Inquiries) refers to the existence of 389 inhabitant on the site.
The principal element was the 16th century keep tower, erroneously identified as a Torre de Vigia (lookout tower) by Landeiro (1982) and systematically characterized by other authors. Constructed in the reign of King D. Manuel, the rectangular structure included an elevated entrance over the ground with staircase. It was uniformly crowned by balcony with machicolations, a military solution which was relatively rare in Portugal, influenced by interventions in this century, and designed by local master mason João de Ortega, who added two circular corbels. Drawings by Duarte de Armas between 1509-1510, represent the walls around the settlement as an irregular polygon, that accompanied the contours of the terrain. The design also included an adarve decorated with merlons in the north, and a lower curtain of ruined exterior walls. The castle was situated on the extreme east, projected to the exterior. Opposite to this, and on the outside of the walls, is an isolated rectangular tower (the lookout tower) surmounted by merlons. Addorsed to the town wall is a "U"-shaped barbican that partially includes in the south, west and north, followed by protected adarves with merlons and cruciform bombardments with cylindrical corbels with slits on the northwestern and northeastern angles. Entrance to the structure came from the western wall, under an arched doorway. The Irregular castle plan included walls decorated with merlons to the keep tower in the southeast. This structure was marked by, as the author intonated "it was not finished at the time I saw it and was at a height of 14 varas and a half". The interior of the courtyard was filled with three oversized two-storey spaces, surrounded by patios (one with a cistern).
In the 1527 Numeramento (ecclesiastical survey) the population of the castle included 864 inhabitants.
In 1568, the Casa da Câmara building was accessible from the gate overlooking the town. It had two halls, one for sessions and another for scribes. In 1500, though, the civil registry office burned down.
By the middle of the 17th century, renovation of the defensive structures were undertaken during the context of the Portuguese Restoration Wars, being Military Governor of Beiras, Marquess of Castelo Melhor, who initiated work on the construction of six bastions.
Alterations to the residence occurred in the 18th century, that included repairs to the castle in 1719, by Manuel Pinto Vilalobos. But, in 1739, the keep tower was obliterated following an accident, when it was being used as a powder magazine. In addition to the keep, several of the buildings in the interior courtyard were damaged. This, as an infantry regiment was stationed on site.