Duarte d’Armas and his “debuxos” (drawings) Castelo Rodrigo

Castelo Rodrigo

Afonso IX, King of León (1188-1230), was responsible for the construction of this Romanesque castle, of which some traces have been preserved, including the circular towers. Only the memory drawn by “Duarte d’Armas” remains of its “Albarrã” watchtower. It should have been completed by 1209, when the Leonese monarch granted the famous charter to the town. In 1296 King D. Dinis conquered it and the fortress definitively passed to the Portuguese crown through the Treaty of Alcanices (1297). The Gothic castle has a Keep, facing the walled town, which was rebuilt in the 16th century. Filipe I elevated the town to a County (1594), bequeathing the title to Cristóvão de Moura, who built his palace here, which was later destroyed by the population during the Restoration of Independence (1640).