Castle of Leiria

Castle of Leiria

The Castle of Leiria (Portuguese: Castelo de Leiria) is a medieval castle in the civil parish of Leiria, Pousos, Barreira e Cortes, municipality of Leiria, district of Leiria.

History

The castle of Leiria was built by D.Afonso Henriques for the purpose of creating line of defense against Arabs. In 1142 D. Afonso Henriques reinforced the defense of the castle after regaining Leiria. D.Sancho I ordered to erect the walls of the castle in 1195.[1] In 1324 D.Denis ordered to construct the keep (Tower of Menagem) which finished only during the reign of D.Afonso IV. In the early XVI century D.Manuel ordered to build a sacristy between the main chapel and the bell tower.[2][3]

Throughout the centuries the castle lost gradually its military value. It was badly damaged during the French invasion.[1] At the end of the XIX century restoration of the castle started in 1915 by the initiative of Liga dos Amigos do Castelo.[2]The restoration project was directed by Ernesto Korrodi between 1921 and 1933, and then Baltazar de Vastro.[2]

The castle hosted important events as the meetings of the first courts called by D. Afonso III; became the residence of D. Denis and Queen Elizabeth; transformed into a meeting venue for the new court in the reign of D. Ferdinand I and the marriage of D. João I’s son D. Afonso was celebrated in this castle as well.[1]

It has been listed as a National monument since 1910.[2][4]

The castle was damaged by the 1969 earthquake.[2]

Architecture

The present configuration of the castle of Leiria was influenced by the 4 major construction periods: the XII century’s Romanesque, the XIV century’s Gothic Dionysus, the early XV century’s Gothic Johannine and the restoration trends of late XIX and early XX century.[4]

The shape of the castle is irregular polygonal with solid walls and towers.[1][4] Paços Reais (Royal Palace), the Church of Nossa Senhora da Pena, Menagem Tower, the former Collegiate space, and medieval barns are located inside the complex.[1][5] The castle has 4 floors of which lower 2 floors are hardly seen from outside and intended to use for domestic services.[4] There is a large loggia with eight arches of twin capitals. The loggia has the panorama over the city and was used as a place for leisure and socializing.[4]The loggia is accessed through a room called Royal Hall or Noble Hall which has a total area of 130 square meters used for receptions by monarchs.[4]

Stonemasonry, brick and concrete were used in the construction.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Castelo de Leiria". oGuia da Cidade (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Castelo de Leiria". Monumentos (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
  3. ↑ "Castelo – Passeio Matemático por Leiria". sites.ipleiria.pt (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2018-09-05. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Castelo de Leiria". Patrimonio Cultural. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  5. ↑ "Castelo | C.M. Leiria". www.cm-leiria.pt (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2018-09-05. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

Coordinates: 39°44′49″N 8°48′36″W / 39.747°N 8.810°W / 39.747; -8.810

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