Ansiães Castle and Walled Town

Ansiães Castle and Walled Town is one of the most significant historical and archaeological complexes in northeastern Portugal. Its elevated position provided excellent natural defences and commanding views over the surrounding territory. The history of the site long predates the foundation of Portugal. Human occupation dates back at least to the 3rd millennium BC and continued through several historical periods. During the Christian Reconquest, Ansiães gained particular strategic importance and, in the mid-11th century, received a charter from the Leonese king Ferdinand the Great, considered one of the earliest known charters within the territory of present-day Portugal. The town consolidated its importance during the Middle Ages. Afonso Henriques, Sancho I and Afonso II confirmed privileges granted to Ansiães, while Afonso III granted it the right to hold a fair in 1277. At the beginning of the 16th century, Manuel I again recognised the municipality's importance by granting it a new charter. The fortified settlement was organised into distinct areas. The defensive core occupied the highest ground, while a second wall, extending for more than six hundred metres and reinforced by towers, enclosed the former urban area. Remains of buildings, archaeological structures and old routes survive within it, providing evidence of how the medieval town was organised. One of the most important monuments within the complex is the Church of São Salvador de Ansiães, a remarkable Romanesque building independently protected as a National Monument. From the end of the Middle Ages onwards, Ansiães gradually lost population and urban importance as other settlements within the municipality developed. In 1734, the municipal seat was transferred to Carrazeda. The surviving ruins now provide a journey through several millennia of human occupation and reveal the political, military and territorial importance once held by Ansiães.