Castelo Mendo - Castle Church

April 26, 2011

Castelo Mendo - Castle Church

Description: Castelo Mendo is situated southwest from Almeida, next to A25 highway. This 721m high Historical Village rises over a granitic complex, surrounded by the deep Côa valley. The village has kept its former walls since the ruling period of D. Sancho I, who erected it in the beginning of the 13th century. You eill find several churches inside: some of them in ruins, but other well-kept. The representations of legendary alcalde Mendo and his wife Menda are quite peculiar. Their faces were placed in the façade of two neighbouring houses. Next to them, there is a small but interesting rural ethnographical museum (Museum of Time and Senses). The remains of a Romanic church and a tower can be found at the top of the village, offering a beautiful view over the houses and the surrounding landscape. Castelo Mendo had an important Medieval fair, probably the first official fair in Portugal.

References: www.lifecooler.com