Heritage Castelo Branco

Castelo Branco_1

Tavares Proença Júnior Museum

The Bishop’s Palace was built by order of Bishop of Guarda, Nuno de Noronha, between the years 1596 and 1598, being recorded in the courtyard entrance portal. In the eighteenth century it was made a profound intervention elaborated by Bishop mandate Guarda João de Mendonça. After Castelo Branco was erected Bishopric seat in 1771, this infrastructure has been adopted as a residence palace of Castelo Branco Bishops. During the ecclesiastical reign of Vicente Ferrer da Rocha, here they were carried out major changes, such as the reconstruction of the peristyle. With Albicastrense Diocese makes here his vacant seat, which installed various public services that contributed to its damage. Between 1911 and 1946, he served as Central High School, which would take the name of Nun’Álvares, as proposed by Dr. Augusto Sousa Tavares, and also ran the Normal School and Business School, and finally in 1971 to the present day, It opened to the public as Museum Francisco Tavares Proença Junior.

Museu Tavares Proenca Junior

What to see

AveiroBatalhaCastelo BrancoCoimbraFátimaFigueira da FozGuardaÍlhavoLeiriaSantarémTomarViseu

Garden Episcopal Palace

Revealing itself as one of the originals of the Baroque in Portugal, notably statuary from its symbols at their disposal in the thematic elements. The garden works were sent by the Bishop of Guarda, D. João de Mendonça, and in the eighteenth century, the second bishop of Castelo Branco Diocese, D. Vicente Ferrer da Rocha also conducted works with some relief and in 1911, this garden passed into the possession of City Hall to get the title in 1919. This presents a baroque style, it is composed of many balconies and verandas in iron and stone balusters, leaving accompanied by five lakes and the intermediate level of the staircase of the Kings are several sets of water. In the green, are granite statues that are notorious those of Last Things of Man, Four cardinal virtues, the Three Theological Virtues, the Signs of the Zodiac, the Parties of the World, the Four Seasons, Fire and Hunting, in stairway are the Apostles and the Kings of Portugal until Joseph I. Another element to highlight are the tiles in monochrome, blue on white background representing the different views of Castelo Branco, the Old Farm and Forest, the Chapel of St. John and respective Cruise.

Jardim do Paco Episcopal

Archaeological Site of Monte of São Martinho

Three kilometers from the city, this place provided with a unique natural beauty, this hill of quartzite formation is accompanied by an endogenous vegetation. From his bollard you can observe the plain of the Tagus Valley and the city itself Castelo Branco. Legend has it that the origin of the city are buried here, rising traces of Roman occupation, evidence of prehistory. The first traces are finding dated and recognized a fortified settlement of the Bronze Age, in the case of a walled castro with potsherds and lithic material / polished stone. Also found were three epigrafadas steles from the Bronze Age, which one of them had recorded a human figure.

Mount St. Martin lies in the field of “Archaeological Triangle Castelo Branco”, which encompasses the area of Mércolas Lady chapels, Santa Ana and the lot of his own name. Arising always great archaeological interest here, this place was found a Roman dam near the Mércoles Lady Chapel, along with a Roman / medieval route and more ceramic fragments and architectural structures Roman Period. Already near the Chapel of Santa Ana found structures of a rustic villae being linked to agricultural activities.

Estacao Arqueologica

São Miguel Church

Cathedral from the year 1956, it was rebuilt in the seventeenth century in the Renaissance style, and presenting different elements of construction, including the cross arch of the sixteenth century altarpieces and panels of the seventeenth century and the chancel and sacristy of the world XVIII-XIX. Without a work bottomless, only in the seventeenth century D. Martim Afonso de Melo, Bishop of Guarda sent rebuild the facade. With a ship that is separated by the presbytery, through a Renaissance arch that shows the Bishop coat of arms D. Martim Afonso de Melo, who witness a tombstone that is located inside one of the side walls. Frei Vicente Ferrer da Rocha, second bishop of Castelo Branco diocese, had built two lateral bodies in Baroque style, the Great Sacristy and the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.

Igreja de Sao Miguel

São João Cruise

Classified as a National Monument was erected in the sixteenth century noting the existence of a chapel invoking Saint John. In Manueline, this presents several vegetal elements in your shaft is spiraled sat up in a ring with a rope and stylized plants, sporting Christ crucified.

Cruzeiro Sao Joao

Viscondes Palace of Portalegre

Erected in 1743, this property Coutinho Refoios family, is a Renaissance buildings, which stand out the bay windows that connect with the beautiful symmetrical architectural elements of its facade. Since the nineteenth century, it houses the headquarters of the Civil Government of the District of Castelo Branco, presenting in its interior, in the music room, an oil painting of one of the owners.

Palacio dos Viscondes de Portalegre

Viscondes Mansion of Oleiros

Presenta the current Town Hall Square, the buildings belonged to the family of Fonsecas Albuquerques Mosques and Castros, in 1935, Dr. Francisco Rebelo de Albuquerque won the City Council, has been adapted to hold public office. This presents a facade in Italian style of the seventeenth century, with an outside staircase of two flights and lintels of windows, as the trace of the gate was heavily influenced by the Baroque style.

Solar dos Viscondes de Oleiros

Castle and Walls

Although there is evidence dating back to human presence since the pre and proto-history, only during the Middle Ages was it founded the Templar fortress, built between 1214 and 1230, by the Templars. Later, King Dinis extend this built, knowing only that D. Afonso IV ordered the construction of the walls. With the engravings present in the Book of Fortresses, Duarte d’Armas, it was established the town-fortress who lived in the sixteenth century, presenting the built with wide door to the mounts and a narrow door to serve the rider and family. The room is the Church of Santa Maria do Castelo, on your deck stands the tomb of John Roiz de Castelo Branco, Albicastrense poet. Currently, the fortress presents a reconstruction with no defined style, and was classified as a National Monument in the 40s of the twentieth century.

Castelo e Muralhas

Dommus Municipalis

In the Old Market Square, this work of the sixteenth century stands despite several reconstructions, preserving its staircase, built on arches ending a balcony with iron guards, placed in granite balusters. On the facade is an armillary sphere with the arms of Manuel and epigraph gravestone that evokes the act of delivery by John IV to the protection of the kingdom to the Immaculate Conception. Previously, this functioned as town hall, courthouse and jail, also welcoming the Municipal Library.

Dommus Municipalis

Bishop Arch House

From the thirteenth century, this house is in the Old Market Square / Plaza de Camões, in the case of one of the symbols architectural, because it has large round arches resting on pilasters faceted. This was the first temporary residence of the bishops of the Guard. There is a chance that in its original feature was the Haircoat Gate, one of the defensive gates of the city. Today, it is still preserved the Monumental Gate, the rear facade that gives access to the residence of the Bishop.

Casa do Arco do Bispo

Cunha Mansion

Also known as the Solar Mota, this comes from the seventeenth century, taking charge of the William family homes da Cunha and remodeling, has to have a palatial house of character, since 1870. This has remained in the family until the nineteenth century when Alfredo Alves da Mota the inherits by marriage. And in 1993, it was acquired by the central government, which promoted adaptation works, functioning as District Archive.

Solar dos Cunha

Order of Christ Barn

A building owned by the Order of Christ, which was used as a public granary. Already in the late eighteenth century it was managed by the City Council. In the nineteenth century it has become private property.

Celeiro da Ordem de Cristo

Knights Mansion

In the nineteenth century, stands the District Asylum Childhood helpless, presenting with a baroque facade, built aimed at the care of worldly women, who belong to change their lives. After several atrocities that took place in this solar, its reconstruction has begun, trying to keep existing maps, but the chapel disappeared.

Solar dos Cavaleiros

Santo António convent

In the northeast, this convent was founded in 1562 at the initiative of D. Fernando Meneses, Commander and Captain-General of this Castelo Branco village. Over the centuries, it has undergone changes that have taken away the primitive aspect, and the facade is composed of Renaissance and Baroque elements, stressing also the colonnade of the inner cloister.

Graça convent

Is next to Francisco Tavares Proenca Junior Museum, this convent existed since the sixteenth century, and highly just left his drawn entrance gate, granite and decorated in the Manueline style. This belonged to the Order of St. Francis until 1526, then moved to St. Augustine, settling the Holy House of Mercy. Between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries of reconstruction and extension works were carried out, presenting the Baroque portal in monastic style, which gave access to the Convent.

Convento da Graca

Nossa Senhora de Mércoles chapel

Without full knowledge of who ordered its construction, only the tradition attributed this to the friars built the Temple Order, although they suspect the existence of a Roman temple prior to its construction. Inside is to highlight the tiles and traces of fresh, this chapel consists of a nave and apse chapel and its exterior highlights the portal entrance and two side portals ogival.

Ermida da Nossa Senhora de Mercoles

Nossa Senhora da Piedade Chapel

Formerly known as the chapel of St. Gregoria, this chapel presents a set of tiles that were offered by the family of Dr. Francisco Rafeiro and 1739, in Johannine style, these are intended to show the Adoration of the Magi, the Last Supper, the Mysteries of the Virgin and images of the Apostles.

Capela da Nossa Senhora da Piedade

Sixteenth Century Ported

In the historic area come many quinhentistas ported and an urban fabric that little has changed, allowing for a clear reading, which showed that its meager resources architecture is adopted in a poor Manueline decoration or popular manufactory. Having dimensions exiguous their materials and construction techniques make these large specimens. As reflected in every house, they have created a setting in Castelo Branco image, being present in all the urban fabric, this medieval chain are also examples of social needs and activities and the old people professionals.

Portados Quinhentistas