Castle of Salir
| Castle of Salir (Castelo de Salir) | |
| Castle (Castelo) | |
| Official name: Ruínas do Castelo de Salir | |
| Country |  Portugal |
|---|---|
| Region | Algarve |
| Subregion | Algarve |
| District | Faro |
| Municipality | Loulé |
| Location | Salir |
| - elevation | 247 m (810 ft) |
| - coordinates | 37°14′34.13″N 8°2′47.65″W / 37.2428139°N 8.0465694°W |
| Architects | unknown |
| Styles | Islamic, Medieval |
| Materials | Stone, Tile, Wood, Steel, Mosaics |
| Origin | 11th-12th century |
| Owner | Portuguese Republic |
| For public | Private |
| Visitation | Private |
| Easiest access | Rua do Castelo |
| Status | Non-existent |
The Castle of Salir (Portuguese: Castelo de Salir) is an Almohad fortress, located in the civil parish of the same name (Salir), 16 kilometres from the municipality seat of Loulé in the Porutguese Algarve.
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[edit] History
The castle was constructed during the Almohad occupation of the peninsula (around 11th-12th century).[1][2] Its function was to protect the farmers from attacks by Christians, and which intensified after the conquest of Tavira by knights of the Order of Santiago.[2]
It was conquered by King Sancho in 1189, who spent the remaining years of the century reinforcing the defenses of the fortress (including building-up the walls).[1][2] But, also, as the discovery of ceramics during archaeological excavations showed, the accommodations in the castle were improved.[1][2]
Salir enters the compiled documents of the Portugaliae Monumenta Historica, as the name of a place taken by commander Paio Peres Correia.[3] The master was to await the arrival of Afonso (1248-1279) so that they could unite their forces and remove the last vestiges of resistance in the Algarve.[3][2] Consequently, the fortification of Salir, within this context, had a strategic role. Later, a fire destroyed the castle, which was reconstructed two times, before actually falling into ruins.[3]
By 1505, the parish of Salir had already an established population of 87 homes, while by the end of the century the castle was already in ruins.[1][2]
An inventory in 1758 discovered that eleven homes were built within the castle walls.[1][2] The 1755 Lisbon earthquake did not provoke an emigration from the parish, even as it resulted in major damages to the castle: by 1798, the parish of São Sebastião de Salir accounted for 408 homes.[2] In fact, by 1841, the castle was already discovered in ruins.[1]
The first attempt at examining the castle's history began in 1987, with an archaeological investigation of the walls and surroundings.[1]
[edit] Legend of the Moorish Castle of Salir
Salir received its name, from the "disappearance" of the daughter of the Moorish alcalde Aben-Fabilla, so a legend suggests, who escaped when he saw his castle being threatened by the army of Afonso III. But, before fleeing, the alcalde buried all his gold, thinking that he could retrieve it later. When the Christians took the castle, they discovered it was empty, except for the beautiful daughter of the alcade who prayed with fervor, and who had preferred to stay in the castle and die a salir. From a nearby mountain, Aben-Fabilia saw his captive daughter in the hands of the Christians and with his right hand made a sign of the Star of David, uttering some mysterious words. At that moment, while the knight Gonçalo Peres was talking to the girl, she was transformed into a statute of rock. The news of the enchanted Moor permeated the castle. But, one day the statue disappeared. The memory of the strange event became linked to Salir, whose towns folk named the village in honour of the courageous youth. The legend concludes with the reflection that, on certain nights, the enchanted statue appears in the Castle.
[edit] Architecture
The castle is located in a rural, semi-mountainous isolated location, implanted in an elevated point in the Algarvan Barrocal, located north-northwest from the parish seat of Salir.[4] It is situated in an area of ample visibility over the fertile valleys to the north and west.[4] The elevated hilltop is 250 metres above sea level, relatively close to the highest points of the Serra do Caldeirão.[4] Located to the east is the Roman archaeological site of Torrinha.
[edit] References
- Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g Fernandes, Paulo (2002). "Ruínas do Castelo de Salir". In SIPA (in Portuguese). Lisbon, Portugal: SIPA – Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico. http://www.monumentos.pt/Site/APP_PagesUser/SIPA.aspx?id=17042.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Helena Maria Gomes Catarino (2007), p.474-475
- ^ a b c Lisbon Academy of Sciences (1860)
- ^ a b c Helena Maria Gomes Catarino (2007), p.471-472
- Sources
- Catarino, Helena Maria Gomes (2007) (in Portuguese), O Algarve Oriental Durant a Ocupação Islâmica, Coimbra, Portugal: University of Coimbra
- Lisbon Academy of Sciences (1860), Portugaliae Monumenta Historica, 1, Lisbon, Portugal: Typis Academicis, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Portugaliae_Monumenta_Historica_-_Scriptores%2C_v._1_fasc._2.pdf
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