Santiago do Cacém Castle

Santiago do Cacém Castle, locally known as Castelo de Santiago do Cacém, lies on a hill above the town of the same name in the Alentejo Litoral region in Portugal.

Who exactly founded Santiago do Cacém Castle and when is not known. The hill was first taken into use by the Alans in the 5th century, after they abandoned an earlier Roman town, called Mirobriga, situated on a nearby hill to the east. They were followed by first the Visigoths and later the Moors. Some sources state that the latter were the first to build the castle.

There is a foundation myth which tells that the area was once owned by a rich Moor. When he felt death coming, he wanted to divide his possessions between his 2 sons and his daughter. The daughter said she didn't want anything but a piece of land that could be covered by an ox-hide, on which she wanted to build a castle. She then cut an ox-hide in thin strips, and with them delimited the perimeter of the area she wanted. And then, after 3 days of heavy fog, the castle magically appeared.

The settlement, called Kassen by the Moors, was first taken by Christian forces in the course of the Reconquista around 1158. The Almohads retook it around 1190. It finally became a Portuguese possession in 1217. As the area of Santiago do Cacém had already been donated to the Order of Santiago in 1186, the order was tasked to rebuild the castle. Since then, it became known as Santiago do Cacém.

For a time during the reign of Denis of Portugal (1279-1325) Santiago do Cacém Castle was the property of Vataça Lascaris, an Italian princess of Byzantine origin, who was a confidant of Denis' wife; Elizabeth of Portugal. In 1336, it returned into the hands of the Order of Santiago.

Philip II of Spain donated the castle to the Duke of Aveiro in 1594.

During the Portuguese Restoration War, in the 2nd half of the 17th century, Santiago do Cacém Castle lost its strategic importance. Later, in 1759, it returned to the Portuguese crown. From then on it was abandoned and fell to ruin. The castle ruin was taken into use as the town's cemetery in the 19th century.

The castle has a more or less rectangular plan, with inner walls equipped with square and round towers, surrounded by a lower outer wall. Within the inner walls is a square inner fortification. It does not have a keep. A church is now incorporated into the southeast corner of the castle.

As Santiago do Cacém Castle is now used as a cemetery, its interior can only be visited during its opening times. The area between the inner and outer walls is freely accessible. I enjoyed my visit, even though it was misty.

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