Watching this point of the boundary line crossing, the monument stands in a dominant position on a hill south of the village on the right bank of the stream of San Marcos, on its confluence with the River Guadiana. On the opposite bank of this, the Sanlúcar de Guadiana Castle can be seen in the territory of Spain.

At the time of the Christian Reconquest, the region was conquered by the forces of King Sancho II (1223-1248) in 1240. In order to increase the settlement and defense of these domains, the ruler favored the current village site, for whose defense was erected new Castle, root, and these works are extended by the second half of the thirteenth century.

Under the reign of King Dinis (1279-1325), the village received its Foral de Carta (1304). Date from this period the wide ring of walls, in which tear three gates: the Guadiana, the Tavira and the Mértola, arranged in the corresponding geographical orientation.

It stands in a dominant position over the stream of Quarteira, about two kilometers south of the city. One of the seven castles represented on the flag of Portugal, its ruins, reddish in color, is one of the most significant examples of Muslim military architecture in the Iberian Peninsula, highlighting the landscape as a warning of arrival at the Algarve to anyone entering the Via do Infante, coming from A2. The scenic effect is multiplied at night thanks to lighting installed by the Algarve Tourist Board.

The castle was erected in mud by the Almohad between the eleventh century and the twelfth century, during the last phase of the Muslim occupation of the peninsula by controlling the ancient Roman road that crossed the river by a bridge of Quarteira the Southeast. During this period, the progress of the Christian Reconquista led to the building of an integrated defensive line for medium-sized fortifications and rural character of the region, of which this is one of the best examples.

The oldest reference of the castle dates back to 1189, when it was won in a bitter night assault by the forces of King Sancho I (1185-1211), with the aid of a squadron of English crusaders. This domain, however, was short-lived, since as early as 1191, was recovered by the Almohads forces under Caliph Abu Yusuf Ya’qub command al-Mansur.

Your definiva possession for the Portuguese crown would only come under the reign of King Afonso III (1248-1279) with the conquest by the Master of the Order of Santiago, D. Palo Peres Correia, in 1248, beginning the repopulation of the area.

In 1249, the day of St. Clement, the forces of King Afonso III (1248-1279) conquered the town with the help of the Knights of Santiago, under the command of Master D. Palo Peres Correia. High the county seat by the charter of 1266, King Dinis donated the village and its fields to the Order of Santiago (1280), giving it later to a big fair, lasting a fortnight in the month of September (1291).

In the context of the 1383-1385 crisis, the village also faced difficulties, as Chamberlain chief witness João Afonso, whereby Loulé was quite depopulated, its castle was bleak walls and inside there were plenty of slums (Proceedings town council, 1385). Reports still that ran in the County the news that the forces of Castile were preparing to enter Portugal. Given the seriousness of the information and to guard against a possible attack, the town council decided to repair the tower surmounted the Faro door and up the walls and battlements of the southern flank around the village. Sensitive to this state of affairs, John I (1385-1433) granted special privileges to the Village term population to inhabit the inside of the fence and donated the slum opposite the Church of St. Clement, to build a churchyard.

With the cycle of the Portuguese Discoveries, the Algarve region, experienced a new surge of economic growth, which also benefited Loulé, exporting wine, olive oil, fruits and dry and salt fish. Thanks to these features, from 1422, the castle walls were rebuilt by Henry de Meneses, 1st Earl of Loulé.

During the Philippine Dynasty, the survey defenses Algarve made between the years 1617-1618 by the military engineer and architect Neapolitan Alexandre Massai, the Loulé Castle listed as having the most damaged walls in mud and noise (Description of the Kingdom of Algarve …, 1621).

The remains of the Roman conquest are felt in the current urban core of the city of Silves. Likely to have been built in that remote period, the first defensive walls of an urban core. The Muslim occupation of the present territory Algarve and the prolonged stay of the Arab peoples and their cultural influence remained from the centuries VIII to XIII, and profoundly marked the history and urban planning of the city.

It is possible that Silves have a bridge in Roman times, given the fact that the town was at the crossroads of Roman roads and also by opus discovery signinum near current ponte.2 In later centuries history is more obscure. As Silves (then called Xelb) was the capital of an Islamic kingdom in the XI-XII centuries, some historians who floated a bridge could have been built in the Muslim city. However, medieval descriptions of Silves carried out by Arabs and Christians never mention a bridge in place, making it unlikely the existence of such a structure to época.1 For example, cross-reporting the conquest of the city by King Sancho I, in 1189 , does not mention any ponte.

The current bridge was raised in the fifteenth century. The first documentary reference is in Lisbon Cortes of 1439, where the envoys of Silves refer to the reconstruction work of a ponte.1 Other documents indicate that the bridge was under construction in 1459 but in 1473 was already finished.

In the early seventeenth century the bridge lost two arches and had to be restored. In 1716 it was again restored by bricklayer Inácio Mendes, but reusing the structures anteriores.1 The stylistic structure of the bridge, however, was not changed in such reformas.

In the twentieth century an arch of the bridge, located on the right bank, was eliminated for the construction of the promenade. In 1950 it was raised for a nearby concrete bridge and the old bridge has become pedestrian.

The details about the foundation and building of Silves Cathedral are unclear. In the process of the Reconquista, Moorish Silves was conquered in 1189 by King Sancho I of Portugal, but since the city was retaken by the Moors in 1191, it is unlikely that a cathedral was built at this time. Only in 1242 was Silves definitely reconquered by Christian knights during the reign of King Afonso III, and it is believed that this king was responsible for beginning the construction of Silves Cathedral as the seat of a newly founded Algarve diocese.

The works proceeded with difficulty, and in 1352 the cathedral was damaged by a strong earthquake. In the 1440s, the cathedral workshop was given a great impulse by King Afonso V. This building campaign produced the apse with its three chapels, the transept and the main portal, in Gothic style, dating from the 1470s. The three-aisled nave was only finished in the early 16th century.

When King John II died unexpectedly in Alvor (Portimão), near Silves, in 1495, he was provisionally buried in the main chapel of Silves Cathedral. In 1499, in the presence ofKing Manuel I, his remains were exhumed and transferred to the Monastery of Batalha, where John II was permanently re-buried; however, his tomb slab with a Gothic inscription is still located on the floor of the main chapel of Silves Cathedral. Many important personalities of Silves were buried in the cathedral during the 15th and 16th centuries, as attested by the many tomb slabs on its floor.

Economic difficulties and a diminishing population plagued the history of Silves in the 15th and 16th centuries, leading to the bishop staying for long periods away from Silves. The most notable of the bishops at this time was Jerónimo Osório, one of the greatest Portuguese humanists and theologians. It was during his rule, in 1577, that the bishopric seat was transferred from Silves to Faro, a more prosperous city located by the coast. In the next centuries the interior of the church was enriched with Mannerist and Baroquealtarpieces, some of which still exist.

The Great Earthquake of 1755 struck a terrible blow for Silves and its cathedral and destroyed part of the nave. The building was repaired and modified, replacing the simple Gothic forms of the upper part of the main façade with Rococo volutes. The bell tower and the south portal are also 18th-century additions.

In the 20th century, an extensive renovation of Silves Cathedral suppressed many of the Baroque additions and returned the building to a more “mediaeval” look.

From the outside, a striking aspect of Silves Cathedral is the contrast between thewhitewashed surfaces of the walls and the red sandstone (grés de Silves) of the apse, windows and main portal.

The main portal, executed in the 1470s, is inserted on a stepped rectangular moulding (alfiz), a common feature on the façades of Portuguese mediaeval buildings since the Romanesque era. Other primitive features of the portal are the figurative corbels of the upper cornice of the moulding, representing animal and human faces. The portal consists of a series of four columns and several pointed-arch archivolts. The outer archivolt is decorated with a series of reliefs of vegetal motifs and human figures, some playing musical instruments. The decoration of the capitals of the columns reveals the influence of theBatalha workshop, which was active in the 15th century. Interestingly, the portal of the main church of Portimão, located nearby, is almost a replica of the one in Silves and is believed to have been executed by the same artisans. The South portal is a Baroque addition (18th century).

Silves Cathedral is a Latin cross church with a three-aisled nave, transept and three chapels in the east end. The east side of the church with transept was built earlier (mid-15th century) than the nave (probably early 16th century). The eastern chapels and transept are covered by Gothic stone rib vaulting, while the nave aisles are covered by a simple wooden roof. It is likely that the original plan called for the whole church to be covered by stone vaulting like other Portuguese cathedrals built at the time, like the Cathedral of Guarda. The aisles of the nave are separated by arches of pointed profile supported by columns of octagonal cross section. The south transept arm is illuminated by a largemullioned window with Gothic tracery.

From archaeological excavations, it is assumed that the first fortress on this site consisted of a Lusitanian castro. It is believed that Phoenicans, Greeks and Carthaginians traversed the site at one time, but that around 201 B.C. the Romans conquered Silves, transforming it into a citadel of their occupation, and commercial center that prospered for the next five centuries.

Around 716, the Visigothic citadel was conquered by the Umayyad Caliphate who reinforced the existing fortifications with a new series of walls. This new period resulted in a great period of development, under the Moorish occupiers, that include the extensive walls in the west.

 In 1160, it was sacked by Ferdinand I of León and Castile, but remained only for a short time in the hand of the Christians: it was quickly recaptured by the Moors. King Sancho I of Portugal, supported by the powerful Crusader army, conquered the city, after a prolong encirclement in 1189. But, a grande army, under orders from Amir al-Mu’minin, in 1191, retook the city. The buildings of the Taifa kingdoms of the 11th century, which includes the Palace of Balconies (where Al-Mutamid, lived as the poet Ibn Amarhe) progressed in the 11th century. The walls and towers that today represent the Castle of Silves came from these campaigns and public works by Almoravides and Almohads in the 12th and 13th centuries. The castles internal water catchment, and large rain fed underground cistern were used to provide freshwater for the surrounding dwellings (to as late as the 1920s). It would only be in the 13th century, during the reign of Afonso III of Portugal, that forces under the command of D. Paio Peres Correia, would definitively take the fortress.

A statute of Sancho I of Portugal whose forces, supported by an even stronger Crusader army, conquered the citadel of Silves in 1189.

A foral was issued in 1266 by King Afonso III of Portugal. In order to expand the influence of Portuguese control, this foral was then supported by residential concessions from King Denis (in 1305), that were later repeated in 1380, under King Fernando I of Portugal. But, even naming Prince Henry the Navigator alcalde for Silves (in 1457), and new concessions in 1487, under King John II, little development occurred in the territory.

Lisbon earthquake

On 1 November 1755, the castle was damaged by the Lisbon earthquake, resulting in the “…loss of its cathedral, tower, castle and walls…”, as identified by Moreira de Mendonça (1758). Sometime during the 18th century, the dungeons were reconstructed, following the earthquake, and the ceilings repainted.

Architectures

The castle consists of an irregular polygon implanted on a hilltop overlooking the community of Silves, comprising four towers and seven crenellated posts, linked by walls with ardaves.

Two gates, the principal one between two towers and the Traitor’s Gate carved into the northern wall. Alongside the principal gate is the guardhouse, constructed with a vaulted ceiling, and covered in tiles.

Within its courtyard are various subterranean structures, with accesses at soil level. The Cistern of Moura, is a 10 metres (33 ft) high, 820 square metres (8,800 sq ft) superficial area, with five naves marked by four orders of columns, interlinked by semi-circular archways. The Cisterna dos Cães, within the courtyard, is a vertical hole of 60 metres (200 ft) depth, that also supported water supply in the castle.

On the second floor of the Governor’s residence, there are two halls covered in painted wood. One of these halls includes a painting of royal arms, framed in shells and acanthus leaves, while on the four lateral panels, are military “trophies” comprising suits of armor, flags, lances, canons, muskets and drums. In the other hall is an allegory of Mars flanked by figurative and floral medallions.

In the military square, and alongside the southwest wall, are the vestiges of a house, presumably the residence of Prince Henry (when he was thealcalde of the Algarve), that includes foundations in dirt, a stone staircase (with a sigle on one flight), a spacious living room with the remains of a vaulted ceiling, olive oil press and pesto.

The visitor and interpretative centre within the shadow of the castle.

Built in the mid-sixteenth century on the hilltop where spreads the village, it is the most representative examples of Manueline architecture to be found in the western Algarve.

Built on an old hermitage dedicated to Santa Ana, presents confluence of different architectural styles, because of the extensive remodeling that was subject after the earthquake of 1755. The façade, flanked by two symmetrical towers, stands the rich Manueline portico, decorated with motifs vegetal and topped by a scallop, symbol of São Tiago – St. James.

They are also to highlight also the Manueline architectural style, the two side portals. Inside, next to the entrance porch, are evident two Manueline columns profusely carved with figures from all walks of life and a parade of musicians. The chancel Chapel holds a gilded altarpiece which identifies the figures of São Tiago e de São José – St. James and St. Joseph. Also noteworthy are the night chapels, which are tastefully baroque set design in carving and tiles.

History / Background History:

Milreu is the testimony of an important “villa” rustic Roman séc.I inhabited since the Christian era, with traces of occupation continued until the century. XI.

Located near the present village of Estoi and about 8 km from the city of Ossónoba (now Faro), Milreu benefited from mountain springs then there existing, whose water was driven by gravity, satisfying the everyday needs of rural and also strong experience playful.

In the fourth century was erected a temple richly decorated and kept still until the start of the vaults, for the private worship of the owning family. The temple was Christianized in the fourth century. In this period created a cemetery with graves surrounding the podium and with a small mausoleum.

In the fifteenth century on private divisions of ancient Roman house was erected a house / fortress, with strong cylindrical buttresses, which now constitutes a unique example of civil architecture rural.

The villa Milreu have a dimension of tens of hectares. Archaeological excavations have revealed a significant amount of archaeological finds, including the collection of mosaics is the most important estate, highlighting the still grounds relating to the marine environment.

The coatings with marmóreos dating from the third century AD, enhances the taste for oriental customs through the use of marble of various colors that sometimes coat the entire surface of a room.

The decorative pottery, as the brick was applied when the marble was scarce. The artist’s imagination, taste and fashion of the commissioner of time, provided the parts where getting translated the effort and passion for beautifying the town.

Thus, the walls of the finest divisions of the house were covered with rich marble and stonework in the form of pilasters addorsed to the walls, topped by Corinthian capitals, or naturalistic elements.

In the intermediate spaces, the walls plastered received the paintings in fresco: geometric compositions or paintings inspired naturalist simulated idealized landscapes. The location of the former is, in most cases, footers and only rarely on other areas of the walls or vaults.

In Milreu, you can see some traces of parietal decoration.

Decorative sculpture are striking portraits of emperors Agrippina, the young, Adriano and Gallienus.

The spaces intended for visitors in villae, as the atrium, the peristyle gardens, fountains, spas ninféus and were often decorated with carvings.

Memories of Monument

The discovery of the ruins

Since its discovery in the sixteenth century, the ruins of Milreu been the target of several considerations on the purpose for which they had intended. Defended ones – André de Resende (XVI century); D.Francisco Barreto (seventeenth century); Father Lima (Séc.XVIII), “the website of Milreu” was the former headquarters of Ossónoba (now the city of Faro). In years 30-40 century. XX, Abel Viana Lyster and Mario Franco, supported by research of a geological / archeological, argued that the former Ossónoba be tracked in Faro, where the current is off da Sé Milreu would then, in your opinion, a resort luxury and rest to enjoy the Ossonobenses.
The first archaeological investigations were carried out by Milreu Estacio da Veiga in 1877. Followed him Botto Canon Pereira, Santos Rocha and Leite de Vasconcelos. In the twentieth century – the ’60s – the German Archaeological Institute, provided important archaeological campaigns in Milreu, directed by Theodor Hauschil. Archaeologists uncovered put above the building complex of the century. III. Have yet to explore the initial constructions of séc.I., with mud walls based on masonry bases and on whose ruins were erected buildings more late.

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