Castle of Alcácer do Sal
Hilltop castle with Moorish origins and later Santiago order seat.
The Castle of Alcácer do Sal is a medieval castle in the civil parish of Alcácer do Sal (Santa Maria do Castelo e Santiago) e Santa Susana, municipality of Alcácer do Sal, Setúbal district. It occupies a hilltop that has been settled since the 6th century, serving as a key urban and military center during the Moorish period.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Setúbal, Península de Setúbal, Lisboa
- Country
- Portugal
- Owner
- Portuguese Republic
- Open to public
- Private
- Built
- 12th century
Facts from the source article.
History
The castle overlooks the Sado valley, and its hilltop location saw continuous occupation from the 6th century onward, becoming a significant urban and military center during the Moorish period in Iberia. The present structure likely dates to the 12th century, succeeding earlier fortifications. Archaeological excavations in the 20th century confirmed that the castle was built under the Almohad Caliphate during Moorish rule. It was taken by D. Afonso Henriques in 1158 but recaptured by Arab Moors in 1191, a period that saw the addition of a pentagonal tower. The fortress was permanently retaken in 1217 by King D. Afonso II, who then granted it to the Order of Santiago. This military religious order remained based at Alcácer do Sal until relocating to Mértola. From 1289 onward, the castle and its defenses underwent rebuilding. In 1570, Rui de Salema and his wife D. Catarina de Souto Maior established the Convent of Nossa Senhora de Aracaeli for the Poor Clares, housing the nuns in the former residences of the Order of Santiago and the Royal Palace within the castle. An earthquake in 1969 caused damage, leading to reinforcement of unstable accessways in 1971, including repaving foundations and filling cracks in parapets and masonry. Further work in 1975 addressed the western wall of the clocktower. Between 1982 and 1983, restoration of adarves and battlements took place, followed by continued wall and turret restoration. A turret was rebuilt in 1985 in stone masonry with imitation taipa. Recovery works in 1986, 1987, and 1988 focused on reconstruction, improvement, and consolidation of walls and turrets.
Architecture
Perched on a hilltop at the edge of Alcácer do Sal's rural area, the castle rises in isolation above the town, river, and nearby lands. Inside its courtyard is the Church of Santa Maria do Castelo. The castle's irregular layout has two separate wall lines, with towers placed at uneven intervals. The walls extend over cliffs to the north and south. The northern walls and towers are ringed by an adarve and decorated with rectangular merlons. At the northeast corner stands the Tower of Algipe, its square base turned into an octagon by four triangular slopes. In the northwest, two taller towers flank a wall section broken by a vaulted arch, with smaller central arches above. To the south, remnants of another wall and towers remain, including a southwestern clock tower. Along the inside of the northwest wall lie the ruins of the Convent of Nossa Senhora da Aracaeli, linked by archways and flanked by towers. The church features a double choir, a rectangular roofless nave, and a rectangular presbytery adorned with pinnacles. North of the cloister, two-story wings are surrounded by rounded arches on pilasters, with framed windows on the upper floor. Both the convent and church open into the castle courtyard.
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