Monsanto (Idanha-a-Nova) - Castle

April 28, 2011

Monsanto - Church View from Castle

Description: Monsanto stands in the Northeast side of Idanha Lands, nestled on a steep hill slope - Monsanto hillock (Mons Sanctus), which abruptly rises out of the prairie and reaches758 meters on its highest point. There are several hamlets scattered along the several slopes and at the bottom of the hill, which shows the population movements towards the plain. It's a very ancient place with evidence of human presence since the Paleolithic Era. They found archaeological evidence of a Lusitanian fortress and of Roman occupation in St. Laurence's field, at the foot of the hill, as well as of Visigoth and Arabian occupation. King Afonso Henriques conquered Monsanto from the Moors and, in 1165, granted it to the Templar monks who had the Castle built under the orders of Gualdim Pais. King Afonso Henriques first chartered the village in 1174 and then King Sancho I (1190) and King Afonso III (1217) confirmed the Charter. King Sancho I rebuilt and repopulated the fortress, which had been destroyed during the fights against the king of Leão. In 1308, King Dinis granted it a Charter, which allowed a fair to take place near the Chapel of São Pedro de Vir-a-Corça. King Manuel I granted it a New Charter in 1510, giving it the right to be a Town.

In the middle of the 17th century, Luis de Haro, Minister for Filipe IV, tried to siege Monsanto, but he had no success. Later on, in the beginnings of the 18th century, the Duke of Berwick also laid siege to Monsanto but the Portuguese Army, commanded by the Marquis of Minas, defeated the invader on the slopes of the hill. In 1758, Monsanto was a municipality, having kept this privilege untill 1853. In the 19th Century, the imposing Castle of Monsanto was partly destroyed by the accidental explosion of the munitions storeroom.

References: portugalvirtual.pt