CASTELO BRANCO

Before 1214 when King Afonso II gifted the town to the Templar Knights little is known about Castelo Branco. It is believed Castelo Branco gets its name from the prior existence of a Luso-Roman castrum or fortified settlement called Castra Leuca where the castle now stands. It was the Templars who constructed the castle we see today and the town's original ramparts between 1214 and 1230.

The oldest part of town clings to the steep gradients below the castle walls. Narrow cobbled lanes are framed by crumbling whitewashed 15th-century houses with decorated doors and windows, a symbol of the wealth of traders who lived in them. Castelo Branco enjoyed great wealth during the late medieval times which financed the building of the Misericórdia and São Miguel churches as well as the lavish Episcopal Palace and its impressive gardens.

Igreja de São Miguel

The impressive ão Miguel church serves as the city's Cathedral and originally dates back to the 13th century. Successive renovations and rebuilds have left the appearance of the church a hodgepodge of styles. Much of what we see now dates from the latter 17th Century. The façade is somewhat austere due to a lack of funds during a rebuild. The single nave interior contains a beautiful Renaissance arch with the coat of arms of D. Martim Afonso de Melo, Bishop of Guarda on top. Inside too, you will encounter altarpieces from the 17th century and paintings, as well as a beautiful organ.

Built on the summit of a hill the Romans called the Colina da Cardosa and a formidable climb from downtown the castle occupies a commanding vantage point over Castelo Branco. The area was taken from the Moors in 1165 and donated to the Knights Templars, who were instrumental in the Christian victory. The castle which is still known colloquially as the Castelo dos Templários was built between 1214 and 1230 along with its surrounding ramparts. By the end of the 13th century, during the reign of King Denis the castle included four gates: the Golden Gate, the Gate of Santiago, the Traitors' Gate and the Pelame Gate. The second set of walls was also constructed and the tower keep was added.

How much of the original castle is debatable, the walls were greatly restored in the 16th Century. Restorations and repairs were an ongoing process. The castle received a battering in the Restoration Wars (1 Dec 1640 – 13 Feb 1668), War of the Spanish Succession (9 Jul 1701 – 7 Mar 1714) and then during the Peninsular Wars against Napoleon. The castle never really recovered from the French onslaught and it fell into ruin. Castelo Branco was elevated to the status of a city in 1771 and the castle stones were pillaged to be used in new constructions in the expanding boroughs. Today the Castle is an empty shell yet the effort to walk to the ruins is well rewarded by the panoramic views from the ramparts.

Museu Francisco Tavares Proença Júnior

Within the Episcopal Palace is the Museu Francisco Tavares Proença Júnior, which was founded in 1910. Francisco Tavares Proença Júnior was a collector of prehistoric and Roman archaeological artefacts from the Castelo Branco area. The collection has grown to include art pieces from the Episcopal Palace, paintings from Portuguese artists of the 16th, 18th and 19th Centuries, tapestries, coins, furniture and religious garments.

The museum's most treasured attractions are an extensive display of silk-embroidered bedspreads from the Vilhena collection typical of the Castelo Branco region and known throughout Portugal as colchas. This style of embroidery originates from India and China and was introduced to Portugal during the age of discovery. There is a room in the museum where you can watch women busy at work creating this centuries-old tradition. Today if you wanted to commission a personalised Colcha it will set you back thousands of Euros.

Tuesday – Sunday: 10h00 – 12h30/14h00 – 17h30, Monday: CLOSED | €2.00, Sunday AM: FREE
Largo Dr. José Lopes Dias, 6000-462 Castelo Branco, Portugal. | 39° 49' 42.4" N | 07° 29' 38.8" W
+351 272 344 277 | mftpj@imc-ip.pt

Episcopal Palace Gardens

Adjoining the Episcopal Palace are magnificent gardens (5418 m2) which are the star attraction of Castelo Branco. It was the Bishop of Guarda, Dom João de Mendonça (1711-1736) who commissioned the gardens and they were landscaped in the Italian style. They remain one of the finest Baroque gardens in Portugal. Found within the garden is a sequence of box hedges, fountains, flowerbeds, azulejos and orange trees. The garden sits on several layers connected by steps with avenues and thematic walks leading to balconies and verandas with iron guards and stone balusters. One highlight of the gardens is the kings staircase lined with carved figures on either side. On either side, stone effigies represent the succession of the ruling monarchs of Portugal. Three of the King statues are deliberately carved smaller because they were, in fact, Spanish rulers; the detested Felipe I, II and III, the so-called “intruder kings” who ruled from 1580 to 1640. Alongside the avenues there are five lakes with water features and fountains interspersed with many other statues alluding to such diverse themes as the signs of the Zodiac, the four seasons, Earths continents, the four moral virtues and the three theological virtues.

In 2013 the Centre of Contemporary Culture opened its doors to the public, a partnership between the Berardo Foundation and the City Hall of Castelo Branco. Nighty-two pieces of art spanning twenty-two countries can be seen here. View the painting "Watchman, what of the night? " by Chilian artist Roberto Matta (1911–2002), and the "Male Torso" sculpture by Colombian figurative artist Fernando Botero (born 19 April 1932).

The building itself is a mighty piece of contemporary design with large cantilevered sections overhanging the ramps to the front and rear. Inside two dedicated galleries host temporary art exhibitions of regional paintings, photography, and sculpture amongst other installations. Found in the heart of the building is an auditorium that seats 275 people with perfect acoustics by the Catalan expert Higini Arau.

Tuesday – Sunday: 10h00 - 13h00/4h00 - 18h00, Monday: CLOSED | Adult: €3.00, Concessionary: €1.50
R. do Campo dos Mártires da Pátria S/N, Devesa) 097 Castelo Branco, Portugal
39° 49' 24.7" N | 07° 29' 24.1" W
+351 272 348 170 | geral.ccccb@cm-castelobranco.pt | Website