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Walled all around, the historical centre of Sortelha has four gates that allowed the connection with the outside world: Porta da Vila or Porta do Concelho, Porta Nova, Porta Falsa and the small Porta da Traição, located in the castle. Here we are taken on a journey back more than 800 years to the medieval era due to the almost untouched state of its medieval layout, castle and walls.
Rua do Encontro 2A, 6320-530 Sortelha
Encontro Street 2A, 6320-530 Sortelha
Housed in a building dating from 1883, opened in 2003 the Sabugal Museum aims to protect and safeguard the historical and cultural heritage of the territory, to present, value and promote different forms of artistic expression and knowledge giving primary importance to those related to Sabugal. The permanent exhibition tells the story of the human occupation of the lands of Riba Côa, where a significant part of the archaeological heritage is on display, coming from private donations and deposits, loans from other museums, and from the prospections and excavations carried out in recent years in the municipality.
It is of Romanesque and Gothic style with some Manueline additions. It is accessed through the Castle Gate where the royal coat of arms of King Manuel I and the armillary sphere are represented, It is composed of a Keep, with a balcony and machicolation, the Torre do Facho, the Cisterna, and also a false door and the small Porta da Traição.
It is a simple building of popular architecture, with only one floor and that conserves on the access door the following inscription: "IHVS AVE MA" - Jesus Ave Maria. The construction must date back to the 15th / 16th century, bearing in mind the bevelled doorposts and the inscription in Gothic cursino.
It is a Catholic temple whose 18th century ex-vows in the chapel made Saramago go to Sabugal in his Journey to Portugal, but he returned discouraged not to have seen them. The ex-vows of Our Lady of Grace are now properly restored and exposed in the chapel of the sanctuary for those who want to see these authentic masterpieces of sacred art and some of them dedicated to Our Lady of Grace, in which the miracle she granted a nun, affected with cancer in a breast, but who was saved by divine intervention, is thanked.
Also referred to as the Castelo das Cinco Quinas (Castle of the Five Corners), due to the unusual shape of its pentagonal keep, it is believed to have been commissioned by King Dinis at the same time as he granted it its charter at the end of the 13th century. It served its military function once in a while, but also as a prison, having been abandoned and its walls dismantled for the construction of several houses in the town and the castle's square of arms began to serve as a cemetery, all this in the 19th century, and only in the 1940s of the 20th century was it possible to stop this degradation.
A Romanesque-style Catholic temple, it is thought to have been built between the 13th and 14th centuries and remodelled in the 16th century in order to adapt it to the functions required by the Santa Casa da Misericórdia. Built with a rectangular plan, single nave and lower and narrower chancel, it has a straight lintel window and a full arch inside.
It was called Castillo de La Luna because it seemed to be near the moon and must have been built in the 12th or already in the 13th century. The castle played a valuable role in the defence of the national territory during the French Invasions and is an excellent example of Romanesque-Gothic square-shaped military architecture, with the citadel well guarded by a double belt of walls.
The origin of the castle of Vilar Maior may be Arabic, or even Roman. Irregular oval plan, with monumental keep of square plan, adjoined to the wall covered by adarve and with cistern. Nowadays the castle is in ruins, but there are still the keep and traces of the town's walls, such as the arch of one of the gates.
Sabugal Archaeological Site corresponds to the ruins of Sabugal Velho and the remains cover the whole of the top of a small relief, indicating that Sabugal Velho is one of the fundamental archaeological sites for the study and understanding of the proto-history of Beira Interior and the Leonian presence in the lands of Riba-Côa. The settlement has been rehabilitated to be visited by the population and the materials from the archaeological campaigns are on display in the current Museu Municipal do Sabugal, and are one of its main attractions.
In the two-storey building, explanatory panels show the relationship of this border region with the Jews and crypto-Jews (supposedly Christians because they were baptised but professed the Jewish faith in secret). The House also has some graphic contents accompanied by texts that evoke the presence of Jewish communities in this old town.
This Environmental Education Centre includes buildings with pedagogical and technical functions, laboratories and nurseries, as well as an educational vegetable garden. Here actions are carried out with schools, guided visits to the forest nursery and didactic workshops.
Of Roman and/or lower middle age origin, these rectangular-shaped caterpillars dug into the rock were mainly used for treading grapes. Orientated towards the east, as tradition dictates, they are situated right next to the municipal 535 road, and are well identifiable even without entering the private grounds.
The use of the medicinal waters of the Cró dates back to the Roman era, and became famous with D. João V, who already at the time spoke of its remarkable curative effects. Currently, they have a brand new and modern thermal spa, a Wellness and physiotherapy area and also a 4-star hotel surrounded by natural landscapes, ancient ruins, streams and mountains creating a unique atmosphere that contributes to tranquillity and well-being.
Edifício da Alfândega, Largo 25 de Abril 6355-217 Vilar Formoso
territoriosdocoa@gmail.com • +351 914 506 242
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