Castelo de Montemor-o-Velho

The castle is the largest medieval fortress on the Mondego line and one of the largest in the country. Its current appearance is due to a complete renovation carried out in 1331. At this time, a Palace was built for the princesses, a building that was successively transformed until the Manueline period, the date of the last known renovation. The Keep Tower also dates from this campaign by King Afonso IV, topped by pentagonal battlements, with the upper floor surrounded by boulders and elongated corbels. Inside, the Church of Santa Maria da Alcáçova is preserved, a Gothic temple from the 14th century, with three naves and a tripartite apse, which was the subject of Manueline reconstruction works, carried out by the architect Marcos Pires. Highlights include the Gothic images of the Virgin of Ó and the Angel of the Annunciation, works from the 14th century, in soft limestone, by Master Pero, as well as the series of Hispano-Arabic tiles from around 1500.