Lapela Keep

The Lapela Keep, locally known as Torre de Lapela, stands in the village of the same name in the Alto Minho region in Portugal.

This keep, perched on the left bank of the Minho River, which nowadays forms the border between Portugal and Spain, is the last remnant of what was once a formidable castle.

According to tradition, the first castle was founded around 1130 by Lourenço Gonçalves de Abreu at the orders of King Afonso Henriques, after the Muslims abandoned the site. Other historians attribute the main construction or later rebuilding to Kings Afonso III, Denis, or Ferdinand, with the royal coat of arms of Ferdinand above the entrance suggesting his strong involvement. This second theory places its construction sometime between 1238 and 1383. The present tower is said to date back to the 14th century.

Drawings in the Livro das Fortalezas, by Duarte de Armas, from the early 16th century, depict the castle as having once consisted of an enclosed courtyard with a rectangular plan, fortified gates flanked by towers, a quadrangular tower with arrow slits, a barbican, and small posterns for access.

In the mid-17th century, during the Portuguese Restoration War, Lapela was taken after a siege by Spanish troops led by the Marquis of Viana. During this siege, it was badly damaged by artillery and afterward fell into disrepair. Much of what remained was destroyed in the first half of the 18th century, during the reign of King John V, when large sections of Lapela Castle's fortifications were torn down to reuse the stone in reinforcing the nearby Monção fortress.

The remaining Lapela Keep rises approximately 35 meters above a granite outcrop, with sides roughly 11 meters in width and walls approximately 2 meters thick. Its entrance, a round arch about 8 meters above the ground, originally required a wooden stair or ladder. Inside, 3 levels are connected by steep internal stairs.

Today, the Lapela Keep houses a small museum and can be visited free of charge. A sturdy keep offering splendid views over the village and the Minho River.

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