Almourol Castle, located on a rocky island in the middle of the Tagus River (Rio Tejo), Ribatejo Province, was built by the Templars in 1160-71. This small rocky island has long been of great strategic importance - it controlled the waterway. Archaeological excavations have shown that the first fortifications arose here around the 1st century AD. e. On June 16, 1910, the castle was listed as a national monument in Portugal.
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| Almourol Castle Portugal Ribatejo Province Rio Tejo |
The fortification architecture of the Crusaders had a pronounced defensive character. Among the buildings of the Knights Templar, the capital is the famous rotunda in the monastery of the main castle of the Order of the Templars, in Portugal, Tomar. During the wars of the Reconquista, the Templars built the castle of Almourol, which reliably protected the valley of the Tagus River (Rio Tejo). The founder of the castle was Don Gualdin Pais, who headed the Knights Templar in Portugal.
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| Almourol Castle Portugal Ribatejo Province Rio Tejo |
The Tagus River, on which the castle stands, flows in the department of Santarém. In this place, the river bed is still narrow, on the protruding shallows you can see many islands. One of them was chosen for the construction of Almourol Castle, a sample of Portuguese fortification architecture. Before you rise a clear silhouette against the bright sky, drawn by the battlements of the castle and its round towers. The base of granite rocks became the natural pedestal of the castle. And all around is quiet and beautiful nature: the river slowly carries its waters, banks densely overgrown with lush forest, mysterious dark blue backwaters, fast rifts, and rocky shoals.