Penedono, Portugal

The castle of Penedono stands at an altitude of over 900 meters. It is also known as "Castelo do Magriço" and it was used both as defensive fortress and residence. During the Reconquest the castle was first conquered and rebuilt by the Christian forces in the 10th century. In the 11th century, it changed sides several times, between Muslims and Christians, until it was definitely conquered by the Christian side in 1064. The actual configuration of the castle dates from the 14th century.
So who was "Magriço"? He was a Portuguese warrior from Penedono, Álvaro Gonçalves Coutinho, and one of the "Twelve of England" that, according to a Portuguese chivalric story from the 15th century, partially legend, partially true, traveled to England at the request of twelve English Ladies to avenge their insult by a group of English knights. The base for this story probably is that a group of Portuguese knights did, in fact, travel through Europe at the time, fighting in several conflicts.




Local: 3630 Penedono, Portugal

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Church of Santa Maria de Belém, Lisbon, Portugal

Image
The church of Santa Maria de Belém originated from the expansion,  ordered by Henry the Navigator in the 15th century,  of a previous hermitage built on the site. The new church was trusted to the Order of Christ- of which Henry the Navigator was the Grand Master- to help the seamen that passed by Belém, as the hermitage had done before. In 1501, by order of King D. Manuel I, the Monastery of the Hieronymites started being built and the small church was totally remodelled in the Manueline and Renaissance styles. It was the king's wish that the church should become a pantheon for the dynasty (Avis-Beja) started by him, and that it continued to help the travellers passing through Belém. Like the Monastery, the church was significantly restored in the 19th century. Inside the church are the tombs of several historical figures: Luís de Camões, one of Portugal's greatest poets who lived in the 16th century, Vasco da Gama, the first navigator to go to In...
Read more

The Gates of Mdina, Malta

Image
Mdina walls have three gates: the Mdina Gate, the Greeks Gate and the Gharreqin Gate. The Main Gate, also known as Vilhena gate, was built in 1724, under Grandmaster Antonio Manoel de Vilhena, who in 1722 ordered the renovation and restoration of Mdina. The courtyard behind the main gate was demolished to make way for the Vilhena Palace and a new gate had to be built, a few meters to the left of the old one, which was walled up. The Gate has reliefs of Saint Agatha, Saint Paul and Saint Publius, the three patron saints of Malta. The Greeks Gate is the oldest of the three Gates, dating back to medieval times. It was also renovated in 1724 when an outer portal was built in the baroque style. It is known as the Greeks Gate because a small community of Greeks once lived by the gate. For many years it was the only gate by which the slaves were allowed to enter Mdina. The Gharreqin Gate is the less known and most recent of the three Gates. It was excavated in...
Read more

Martim Moniz Square, Lisbon, Portugal

Image
According to legend, Martim Moniz was a knight in D. Afonso Henrique's army during the city's reconquest in 1147 (D. Afonso Henriques was the first king of Portugal). Seeing one of the gates open he threw himself into the breach, allowing for the invading army to enter at the cost of his own life. Martim Moniz square results from the demolition of Lower Mouraria in the mid 20th century, including the street after which the square is named. Only the chapel of Our Lady of Good Health survived the demolition. In the 90s the city council decided to make the toponym official and maintain the homage to the hero of questionable existence. During many years the square looked very degraded, until 2012, when the city council decided to renovate, adding new kiosks and esplanades. This square is also known as Lisbon's Chinatown, due to the existence of many Chinese and Indian shopkeepers. The fountain is a reference to the old wall, of which only an unrecognizable tower rem...
Read more

House of Santa Maria and Lighthouse of Santa Marta, Cascais, Portugal

Image
The house of Santa Maria, built in 1902, was designed by the Portuguese architect Raul Lino, one of his first works. It was ordered by Jorge O' Neill, a Portuguese businessman of Irish ascendancy, but sold to the architect's brother in 1918, who added 18th-century tiles and a painted wooden ceiling brought from a chapel in Frielas. The house was again sold in 1925 to the Espírito Santo family and in 2004 to the city council. The lighthouse museum of Santa Marta opened to the public in 2007. It has two main exhibitions, one on Portuguese lighthouses and a second one on the lighthouse of Santa Marta. The lighthouse is located in a fort, probably dating from the Restoration Wars, in the 17th century. The lighthouse was built two centuries later, in 1868, and is about 20m tall. Opening hours: Tue.to Fri. 10h to 17h, Sat. and Sun. 10h to 13h and 14h to 17h; The lighthouse tower Tue. to Fri., 11h to 12h, Sat. and Sun. 11h to 13h. Entrance fee: €4 ...
Read more