Monsaraz: a medieval hilltop village: a self-guided walk

By Alleytale

A walled hill town above the Guadiana, from the castle to a chapel at the foot of the hill

Almost everything in Monsaraz has a border story behind it: a fortress, a church, a courtroom fresco about honest and corrupt judges, and a chapel with a castle-like crown.

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The stops

1. 1Castle of Monsaraz

   The castle rises over Monsaraz hill beside the Guadiana and the Alqueva reservoir, overlooking the medieval village and the border with Spain. After King Sancho II retook the town for good in 1232, with help from the Templars, the keep was rebuilt from 1310 under King Dinis. In the 1600s, during the Restoration War, the walls were modernised with bastions in the Vauban style.

   

2. 2Church of Santa Maria da Lagoa

   In the 16th century this church replaced an older Gothic one that had been contaminated by plague. It has three naves and a bell tower on the right, with Mannerist and Rococo features. Inside, look for the marble tomb chest, carved with a funeral procession, of Gomes Martins Silvestre, the Templar knight who settled Monsaraz.

   

3. 3Museum of the Fresco

   The old town hall and courthouse was first built around the second quarter of the 14th century, and in October 1958 workers repairing it found a fresco that had been hidden behind a wall. It shows a good judge and a bad judge: the bad one has two faces, is being bribed with gold coins and a pair of partridges, and has the Devil whispering in his ear. The building became the Museum of the Fresco on 13 July 2012.

   

4. 4The walled village

   The walled village is a long oval running north-east to south-west, with streets laid out on a grid that is rare in a medieval town. On Rua Direita, look for the little square chapel of São José under its dome. The hill stands between 275 and 325 metres high, with wide views over the plain to the west and over the Guadiana valley and the Spanish border to the east.

   

5. 5Chapel of Santa Catarina

   This chapel stands alone at the foot of the hill below Monsaraz, and it is a National Monument. Its hexagonal apse was probably built in the 13th century, and the crown of battlements that makes it look like a small castle was added in the 14th or 15th century. The nave was added in the 16th century, and the arch leading into the apse is of a very old design.

   

Hear the full story as you walk, or create your own walk, in the Alleytale app.