The fights against the Moors and the passage of the centuries made necessary the successive enlargement and restoration of the castle, prolonging its (re)construction from the 11th to 16th centuries by initiative of several kings, namely D. Afonso Henriques, D. Sancho I, D. Dinis, D. Fernando.
The loss of the defensive importance of this castle led to its maintenance being neglected and the population began to use the stones in other constructions, leaving this fortress increasingly damaged. It was restored in the 1940s the walls and the battlements were remade according to what still existed, and the houses were dismantled in the meantime leaning against the walls. The bell tower of the Seventh century was erected.
In 1992, and already under the responsibility of IPPAR, the accesses and interior circulation of the castle were paved, the walls were cleaned, recovered and consolidated, and the pathway was improved by placing footbridges that allow the pedestrian walkway in almost the entire perimeter.
The occupation of this fortress today boils down to the church and the parish house.
Its construction dates back to the 11th century, despite what can be seen today of the Castle dating only to the 14th and 15th centuries. Inside, there is the Church of São Miguel, whose first origins date back to the 12th century.
It is worth mentioning:
Besides the Village Door, there is another door, the one they call, the one of the Betrayal or the Fields, which has a double opening in elbow, integrated in a tower, which denotes the influence of the Muslim tradition in the Portuguese fortification of the late Middle Ages.
Source: www.cm-penela.pt
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)