Veiros Castle

Veiros Castle, locally known as Castelo de Veiros, lies in a town of the same name in the Alto Alentejo region in Portugal.

Exactly when Veiros Castle was built is unknown. The earliest certain date is 1308, when construction of the keep started. It was a possession of the Military Order of Aviz. It is thought that the castle is contemporary to the castles of Alandroal and Noudar, both also built by the Order of Aviz in this region.

Afonso, the 1st Duke of Braganza, was born in the castle in 1377. In 1381, during the Third Fernandine War, it was attacked by Castilian troops.

Veiros Castle was considerably damaged during the 1531 Lisbon earthquake, but was restored within the next 25 years.

In 1662, during the Portuguese Restoration War, the town and its medieval castle were besieged and taken by Spanish forces. During the siege, the keep, which had been serving as a powder magazine, was destroyed by an explosion. The castle was retaken by the Portuguese soon after. In 1665, however, it was again taken, this time by Spanish forces under Luis de Benavides Carrillo, Marquis of Caracena. It was again recovered soon after by the Portuguese, who then reinforced it, adapting the medieval walls to the use of modern artillery.

In the 19th century the town lost its importance, but by then the castle had already been abandoned.

The castle has an irregular, somewhat triangular plan and originally had 4 gates. The gate in the east corner of the castle has disappeared, and in its place now stands a large church.

When i visited, I found Veiros Castle closed and could not find any info about visiting possibilities. Only later I found out that it could be visited and that the key could be obtained at the local parish council. Too bad, I would have liked to visit the interior of this very nice castle.

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