Castle at Palmela

Castle at Palmela with views over the wooded Serra da Arrabida.
Portugal’s first king, Afonso Henriques, captured Palmela from the Moors in the mid-12th century after a surprise attack on the King of Badajoz.
The knight-monks of Santiago were subsequently installed in the castle’s monastery in 1194.
Situated with magnificent views on a spur of the Serra da Arrábida, Palmela Castle is one of the finest examples of Portuguese military architecture. Constructed by the Moors, it was rebuilt after the 12th-century Reconquest, but was partially demolished by the 1755 earthquake that laid waste to Lisbon. In the castle’s dungeon directly below the keep, the bishop of Évora was imprisoned in 1484 for his part in the conspiracy against King João II. He died there days later, probably from poisoning.