Montemor-o-Velho: Home to Portugal’s Oldest Castle
In this video… Montemor-o-Velho, Portugal September 13, 2023 – 11:00 – 25 ºC / 77 ºF Hi everyone! Despite being a small country, Portugal has hundreds of castles on its territory, built to protect Portugal from the constant threat of invasion…
…by Islamic forces from northern Africa and the kingdoms that today make up Spain. But of all these castles, which is the oldest? Rua (street) Mendanha Raposo Due to the lack of documentation, it is not easy to answer this question, but there is a high probability that the oldest castle in Portugal…
…is the Montemor-o-Velho Castle. Rua Fernão Mendes Pinto Located 200 km (124 miles) north of Lisbon, and 130 km (81 miles) south of Porto, the entire municipality of Montemor-o-Velho has about 25,000 inhabitants, while the town itself has only 3,000 residents. Portugal – Spain Montemor-o-Velho, Coimbra, Figueira da Foz, Pombal
Most of the supermarkets, grocery stores and schools are located at one end of the town, which may make it difficult to live here without private transportation. As you can see, Montemor is probably not the most walkable town I’ve ever shown you.
The Arab occupation of present-day Portugal and Spain began in the year 711. Montemor-o-Velho, an inland port of great importance at the time, was the target of conquests and reconquests throughout the 8th to 12th centuries. The first references to this castle and its settlement date back to 848,
When the first Christian reconquest of Montemor took place. We therefore know that the castle is at least 1176 years old, but it’s very likely that it’s older than that. Church of Mercy, built in the 16th century. Between the 10th and 11th centuries… …control of the castle switched between Christian and Muslim forces.
Praça (square) da República Town hall The former Municipal Market, which has been converted into a cultural center. It wasn’t until 1064 that the castle was definitively conquered by Christian forces, after the taking of the city of Coimbra. Rua Dr. José Galvão Located on top of a hill,
This castle was the main fortification of the Coimbra region at the time. Coimbra would become the first capital of the independent Kingdom of Portugal, in the year 1143. To make it easier to climb up to the castle, escalators were installed a few years ago. This one is not working!
In 1212 the town was called “Mons Maiores” or “Montis Maioris”, archaic Portuguese meaning “big hills” or “bigger hill”, to which was added “-o-Velho” meaning the “the old one”. In the southern part of the kingdom there was another town called Montemor, when it was reconquered by Christian forces it became Montemor-o-Novo (“the new one”),
A town I will probably visit and film this year. The castle that stands today is the result of successive expansion and improvement works… …that took place during the medieval period. I think these are rice fields… I’m not sure. With the definitive conquest of Montemor in 1064,
The Church of Santa Maria da Alcáçova was built on the castle grounds. This castle was also the scene of one of the best-known episodes in Portugal’s history, as it was here that the fate of Inês de Castro was decided. Inês de Castro was the daughter of a powerful noble…
…from the Kingdom of Castile (present-day Spain). Inês had been living with Pedro, the heir to the Portuguese throne… …since the death of his wife, Constanza, in 1345, due to childbirth complications. This affair greatly displeased the Portuguese monarchy. as the independence of the kingdom could be at risk. Thus, with King Afonso IV convinced that the Portuguese throne was in danger… …of falling into Castilian hands, he decided the fate of Inês in this castle, on January 6, 1355.
The following day, Inês was murdered in Coimbra. Enraged with grief, Pedro led a revolt against the king, his own father! When he finally took the crown in 1357, Pedro swore that he had secretly married Inês. Pedro had Inês’s body exhumed, adorned with the crown and royal robes,
And made the whole Court kiss the hem of Inês’s garment, recognizing her as Queen of Portugal. Inês was the only posthumous monarch in Portugal’s history. Before continuing with the story, let’s first visit this ancient church. A 16th century tomb. 17th century. 19th century.
A very rare statue of the Virgin Mary in an advanced stage of pregnancy. In the 19th century almost all the images and statues… …representing a pregnant Virgin Mary were destroyed. In April 1360, Pedro ordered Inês’s body to be transferred from Coimbra to the Monastery of Alcobaça, where he had two magnificent tombs built,
So that he could rest forever beside his eternal beloved. I was here at the start of the video. The ruins of the former royal palace. It was here that king Afonso IV decided to kill Inês. In 1361 Inês’s murderers were captured. King Pedro conducted a public trial,
And after finding them guilty of Inês’s murder… …Pedro ripped their hearts out with his own hands, as they had figuratively done to his own heart. There’s much more to this story than what I told in this short summary. If you want to know the rest of this incredible story…
…the link to the video I made in the city of Alcobaça is in the description below. Pinhas Doces de Montemor (sweet pine cones of Montemor)… …is one of the municipality’s most popular delicacies. They combine the creaminess of the filling, the crunchiness of the dough, which is reminiscent of a cookie,
And the sweet caramelization. The former Convent of Our Lady of the Angels. One of the wonders of Portuguese conventual sweets is the Pastel de Tentúgal. Rua Dr. José Galvão As the name implies, conventual sweets were originally made by nuns who lived in convents.
The thin, crispy sheets of pastry and the distinctive egg filling… …make for a unique combination. Roast duck is one of the most traditional dishes you can eat in Montemor-o-Velho. If you’d like to support the channel visit: BuyMeACoffee.com/POVTours I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s video!
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Walking tour of Montemor-o-Velho, a little town in central Portugal. Montemor-o-Velho is the home of Portugal’s oldest castle, dating back to at least the year 848. Discover a tragic medieval love story, with one of its most striking chapters taking place in the castle of Montemor-o-Velho. Savour the town’s strategic location atop a hill, offering panoramic views of the picturesque surrounding landscapes.
🎦 Walking tour of the city of Alcobaça: https://youtu.be/AW9y_Igg7Qg
🎦 Walking tour of the city of Coimbra: https://youtu.be/qwXmN0Cdht8
▶️ Map with ALL my videos: https://bit.ly/3tRK6NC
This walking tour was filmed in 4K resolution, first-person point of view with captions (no talking), for a more immersive experience!
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▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ⌚ Video chapters ⌚
0:00 Intro to Montemor-o-Velho
0:49 Starting the walking tour
7:05 Town hall
12:20 Montemor-o-Velho castle
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 📷 About POV Tours 📷
POV Tours – Portugal in 4K is all about immersive and relaxing walking tours. You’ll experience, as if you’re there in person, lively urban areas, small picturesque towns, historical places, monuments, as well as places of natural beauty.
As I’m based in Lisbon, Portugal, most of my videos will be in this region, but there will be videos from all over Portugal in the future. Is there a special place in Lisbon you’d like to see, or elsewhere in Portugal? Let me know in the comment section below and I’ll see what I can do!
32 Comments
NEXT LEVEL ❤️ BOSS PORTUGAL 🇵🇹❤️♠️👑💋🔝🇪🇺
Muito obrigada 👍. Gosto de tudo que e história ou histórico. Saudades de Portugal 👍🇵🇹🇪🇺
Bonjour !
Vous le Vasco de Gama du XXI siècle
Vite je regarde !
Il y a plus de pays qui parlent portugais à la CAN de foot ! Dommage !
Heureusement il reste deux pays francophones ! Il joueront ensemble en demi-finale.
Comme ça il y aura un pays francophone en finale
Je me souviens du joueur Portugais Alves en 1975 ( j avais 15 ans ) il portait des gants noirs en souvenir de son grand-père ! Il avait jouer contre la France à Paris ! Le gardien Français jouait à Marseille ! Il avait raté son match !
La France avait perdu 2 à 0 un !
peu après la Revolution des œillets
On avait renvoyé le sélectionneur Kovacs après ce désastre ! Et on a cassé le Stade car cela s' était joué à Colombes ! Il y a des immeuble maintenant Et pas au Parc des Princes !
Le Portugal est le dernier pays à avoir joué la bas !
Il y avait les Portugais de Paris avec des drapeaux et des trompettes!
J allais à l'école ! Et j avais un camarade Portugais ! Je sais plus comment il s appelait ! Il y a 49 ans !
Bon dimanche !
Mon père me disait ( que Jésus Christ ait son âme )
Tu devrais être Portugais ou Espagnol 《 tu ne connais que la messe et le foot ! Tu es un peu fou avec le foot . Tu lis que des livres de foot ou la messe ! Oh sainte Vierge pourquoi tu es comme ça ! Le foot et la messe ! 》
Bon dimanche
Awesome as well, never disappoint. You gotta find me a golf courser 🙂
Thank you Miguel, I am happy that you are starting to venture into the Alentejo. Take care and stay safe.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Coitada da Inês
Agora, Inês é morta.
O que me falta pra morar em Portugal, Senhor!!!!!
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Inês d3 Castro era galega…
Inês de Castro era Galega, não castelhana… o rei contudo era o mesmo, o Rei de Castela. Tanto na Galiza qto em Castela.
🎉🎉🎉🎉
laba diena,senei ziuriu tavo laidas,o vis sugebi mane nustebint,aciu ,pilis ispudinga,sekmes tau🤩❤❤❤
Je souhaiterais une visite de colmeal da torre près de belmonte. Merci
Vou voltar a Portugal e quero visitar este Castelo e a cidade de Belmonte onde nasceu Pedro Álvares Cabral !
Tão fascinante, tão belo! Obrigada, Miguel.
Espero que estejas bem. Tenho andado muito ocupado neste último mês, por isso estou a pôr alguns vídeos em dia.
Feliz domingo para ti, espero que tenhas uma semana fantástica! Saúde ~
Me encantan los castillos y la historia y he disfrutado muchísimo el vídeo. En España existen canciones con la historia de Inés de Castro y de la reina Constanza…
Ola Miguel muito obrigada por mais um lindo vidéo et de rememorar a historia de Portugal. Muitas saudades. 🙏🙏🙏♥️😘
Thank you, Miguel. Montemor-o-Velho is a gorgeous little place. The church on the castle grounds may be old and small, but it is one of the most architecturally interesting churches you have visited. And Pedro’s and Ines’ tragic love story reminds us not only that “love conquers all”, but also that “revenge (against those who violently tear lovers apart) is a dish best serve cold”. But one other characteristic about Montemor-o-Velho you point out is thought-provoking and hiding in plain sight. The fact that Montemor-o-Velho is basically a mound atop of which sits a historical castle that the town’s people below (and tourists) can today easily reach via a modern-day escalator, and a place where most of the food supply and the existing schools are clustered on one side of the town suggests that the municipal bureaucrats should fund the construction of a second up-down escalator which takes people from the top of the mound down to the side of Montemor-o-Velho where access to nutrition for the body and the mind are concentrated. I mean, one could do worse that be an adult carrying a shopping bag full of groceries, or a kid carrying a load of schoolbooks, riding either of the two escalators while taking in the beautiful views around them.
Olá Miguel, que lugar mais lindo. O castelo, só pelas ruínas dá para imaginar como devia ser lindo,! A história de Pedro e Inês de Castro muito triste. Vou ver Alcobaça. Adorei tudo deste vídeo. Obrigada . Um abraço.
Oi Miguel !! Seus vídeo são excelentes, tem de tudo que eu gosto beleza, história e gastronomia! Fiquei encantada com as maravilhas desse lugar! Obrigada pelo lindo vídeo! Boa tarde Deus lhe abençoe 🙏🏾👏🏻😇❤
Mais um vídeo perfeito…e as histórias narradas por vc dão um toque mais especial…parabéns…👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Boa tarde Miguel, mais uma bela vila que você nos mostra em seu vídeo, Montemor-o-Velho, e com mais um belo Castelo e cheio de histórias, realmente Portugal a cada esquina um Castelo, se eu tivesse tempo💰💰 faria um tour para conhecer todos, quem sabe um dia eu arrumo todo este tempo😅😅..Mas de todos os castelos que você já mostrou, este tem uma uma bela vista em 360° , pois sua privilegiada posição geografia favorece e muito, e os belos campos atuais, e que nos seus primórdios com certeza seria uma bela floresta. E mais uma culinária local de encher os olhos e nos deixar com água na boca 🤣.. Abraços e uma ótima semana 🤝👏👍
Miguel , parabéns outro ótimo vídeo , narrativa histórica perfeita , valorizando o de melhor temos em Portugal. Posso sugerir que vc possa em determinados locais um close nas placas informativas ,assim além da sua narrativa podemos ler a descrição existente , dando uma pausa no vídeo .
Parabéns, Miguel! Mais um vídeo seu que merece um prêmio. Imagens lindas, trilha sonora excelente e as explicações dos fatos históricos que envolvem o local, tudo faz com que seja um enorme prazer assistir seus vídeos. Mágico castelo, com uma vista magnífica, numa belíssima cidade e região. Portugal sempre surpreende com sua inesgotável beleza. A primeira vez que ouvi a história de Inês de Castro foi quando eu era adolescente, numa aula de literatura portuguesa. Lembro que fiquei comovida. Assistindo seu vídeo hoje, senti a mesma emoção. História triste e comovente. 😢 Gratidão e muito sucesso ao canal! Aproveitando, você já fez algum vídeo sobre Figueira da Foz? Dizem que é uma cidade muito bonita. Se tiver feito, por gentileza me envie o link. Abraços!
Boa tarde Miguel, gostei da preocupação da junta de freguesia com os visitantes ao colocar escadas rolantes no castelo.
Apesar da nomenclatura diferente, dá para ler e entender as escritas nas tumbas. Gostaria de saber como naquele tempo
sem muitos recursos, se trabalhavam esses entalhes nas imagens e cúpulas. Depois que comecei a assistir os teus vide-
os, fico me perguntando em qual vila eu moraria se pudesse voltar a Portugal porque todas são de uma paz, principalmen-
te para quem gosta de sossego, mas acho que iria morar na Pampilhosa onde nasci, meu irmao que aí esteve em 2011
disse que a vila está muito diferente, mas que que vejo nas outras cidades não deve ter mudado muito, em um video re-
cente sobre comboios sei que a linha do norte está passando por remodelações e vi as obras na estação. Abçs e até um
próximo video.
Дякую.Завжди дивлюсь ваші відео.Цікаві міста,гарна і своєрідна архітектура,неповторні краєвиди.Дякую.Гарного дня.
wow,such a great love story about Ines and Pedro. Like our Maija and Viktor of Latvia in 15th century.
Boa tarde que vídeo lindo como amei assistir que delícia conhecer Portugal com seus vídeos parabéns pelo seu trabalho 🌿🌺🌿🌺🌿🌺☘️🌺☘️🌺☘️🌺☘️
Quelle vidéo somptueuse ! Quel château encore en bon état et les jardins entretenus
J aime la chapelle avec la statue de Marie ❤ enceinte avec le Christ Notre Sauveur
Oui je connais l histoire d Inès . Vous en aviez parlé en faisant visiter le monastère d Alboxxx!
Ca rigole pas au Portugal !
Monemor o Novo !! Vous allez faire une vidéo sur ce village ?
C est là ou est né St Jean de Dieu !
Il serait parti de Montemor o Novo au Portugal à pied pour aller à Madrid !
Il voulait jouer au foot au Real Madrid !
Lui aussi c est un grand Portugais !
J ai lu la dynastie des Avis ! Elle a régné plus de 200 ans !
Le monastère dont vous parliez a été construit pour remercier Dieu de la victoire
Oh Portugal ! Porto Calle !
Tout est merveilleux là bas !
J aimerai assister à la messe au Portugal .
Oui Saint Vincent à Lisbonne !
Et aussi la rue san Miguel
Hola Miguel mais um excelente vídio, a história de Pedro e Inês que conheço desde dos tempos de escola, uma história trágica, sempre me emocionou muito. Obrigada 🙏Miguel uma boa semana 😊
thanks for the hard work getting up to the castle😢. There are also traces of Roman settlements and yes, a lot of rice is cultivated arount the town.
Que lugar bonito! Mas não são do meu agrado essas subidas e descidas… 😀
A Igreja merecia uma equipe especializada para restaurar as pinturas. Tudo tão bonito, mas o tempo é inclemente!
Obrigada por mais este passeio, Miguel! Teremos vídeo na quarta ou quinta? Abraços e ótima semana! 🤗🤗
Здравей, Мигел! Ти си нашата португалска Шехерезада, чиито приказки можем да слушаме безкрай. И да чакаме новите с нетърпение… Рядко срещам толкова красиви и интелигентно направени видеа – картина, само текст, без музика, показващи с любов и гордост красивата Португалия. Видях част от нея, но почувствах духа й и я обикнах. Благодаря и до нова среща!👏🤗
well done Miguel ! the story of Pedro and Ines brought a tear to this tough old lads heart…I was imagining the inner court drama unfold in the setting of the castle