Moura, Alentejo, Castle, HWW

Dominating the city with what remains of its towers and walls, the castle of Moura was built by the Portuguese in the early 14th century taking advantage of the fortifications left by the Arabs. In the second half of this century a second walled fence was added to house the increasing population.

In the 16th century, King Manuel I of Portugal commissioned the architect Francisco de Arruda to make some changes, probably including the clock tower, also dating from this period the female convent of S. Domingos, which is inside the fence, ordered by D. Ângela de Moura, in 1562, on the foundations of the old mosque. The convent church keeps the Manueline tomb of the brothers Pedro and Álvaro Rodrigues, presumed conquerors of Moura.

During the Restoration Wars, in the second half of the 17th century, the medieval fort was reinforced with a line of bastions and ravelins, according to the project of Nicolau de Langres, adapted to the new techniques of war with firearms.

The rectangular keep and a circular tower on which a clock was added in the 19th century stand out from the fortified ensemble.

Source: fortalezasdefronteira.turismodeportugal.pt/en/node/150