Ye olde medieval castle (Part 2)

Again, I had no intention of writing a sequel but… we do have a lot of medieval castles!

The castle of Santa Maria da Feira (a city which is about 30 minutes to the south of Porto) is probably one of the most beautiful castles in Portugal. In recent years it became also one of the most well known castles in the country because of the medieval fair it hosts every year (note: If you happen to be in the area at the time of the fair, usually between late July and early August, it’s well worth spending at least a day there).

For all we know today the castle was built where a pagan temple used to be. This temple, dedicated to a local divinity called Bandevelugo Toiraeco (try saying that 3 times, quick!), would later become a temple dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

The oldest written reference to the castle dates back to the 11th century and, actually, this castle reflects a variety of defensive methods used between the 11th and the 16th centuries.

As with most castles in Portugal, this one is located in the city centre and it also happens to be near a park. Even without the medieval fair I’d highly recommend going there!

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