Abrantes Castle

Castle of Abrantes (Castelo de Abrantes)
Fortification (Fortaleza)
Modern meets classic: the northwestern colonnade located alongside a skatepark
Official name: Fortaleza de Abrantes
Country	Portugal
Region	Centro
Sub-region	Médio Tejo
District	Santarém
Municipality	Abrantes
Location	São João
- elevation	149 m (489 ft)
- coordinates	39°27′52.05″N 8°11′41.35″W / 39.4644583°N 8.1948194°W / 39.4644583; -8.1948194Coordinates: 39°27′52.05″N 8°11′41.35″W / 39.4644583°N 8.1948194°W / 39.4644583; -8.1948194
Length	254.03 m (833 ft), Northwest-Southeast
Width	155.52 m (510 ft), Southwest-Northeast
Origin	130 BC
- Initiated	c. 1179
Owner	Portuguese Republic
For public	Public
Visitation	Closed (Mondays and on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 December)
Management	Instituto Gestão do Patrimonio Arquitectónico e Arqueológico
Status	Property of Public Interest Imóvel de Interesse Público
Listing	Decree No. 41-191, 18 August 1957
Summer	10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.; 1:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Winter	10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.; 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

The Castle of Abrantes (Portuguese: Fortaleza de Abrantes) overlooks the city of Abrantes, in the municipality of Abrantes in the district of Santarém, Ribatejo, divided between the two civil parishes of São João and São Vicente. It was part of the Reconquista fortifications that made up the Linha do Tejo (English: Tagus Line), a line of castles and outposts during the Middle Ages, recently integrated into a tourist region called the Região de Turismo dos Templários (English: Tourist Region of the Templars).

The area of the Abrantes Castle was at one time occupied by a Lusitanian castro structutre. It was conquered during the Roman invasion of the peninsula around 130 BC by Consul Decimus Junius Brutus, and occupied for a time by Roman legions after Brutus expanded and remodelled it. Successive invasions by Alans (411), Visigoths (492) and Moors (716) further indicated the strategic importance of this site, justifying the establishment of a permanent military garrison. However, the area and its river did not constitute an important link between the settlements of the Iberian Peninsula until the 12th century.

During the Christian Reconquista (English: Re-conquest), the settlement in the area of Abrantes was taken from the Moors by forces in the service of Afonso Henriques (1112-1185), who restructured the defences of the site to attract settlers into the region. He granted the lands to the Order of Santiago (1172) so that they could watch over and assist pilgrims on the Way of Saint James. Later, it was incorporated into the Linha do Tejo (English: Tagus Line) that the Knights Templar established to control and maintain the lands reconquered from the Muslims. The castle outpost, as well as the castles of Almourol, Castelo Branco, Monsanto, Pombal, Tomar, Torres Novas and Zêzere formed a defensive barrier of garrisons along the middle course of the Tagus River.