Castle of Terena

Castle of Terena (Castelo de Terena)
castle (Castelo)
Portion of the Keep and walls of the Castle of Terena
Official name: Castelo de Terena
Named for: Terena
Country	Portugal
Region	Alentejo
Subregion	Alentejo Central
District	Évora
Municipality	Alandroal
Location	Terena
Architects	unknown, Duarte d' Armas, Francisco e Diogo de Arruda
Style	Medieval
Materials	Stone masonry, Brick, Tiles, Wood
Origin	c. 1262
- Initiated	15th century
Owner	Portuguese Republic
For public	Public
Easiest access	Rua Direita
Management	Instituto Gestão do Patrimonio Arquitectónico e Arqueológico
Operator	DRC Alentejo (Dispatch 829/2009; DR, Série 2/163, 24 August 2009)
Status	Property of Public Interest Imóvel de Interesse Público
Listing	National Monument
Free 4	Decree 35/443; DG Série 1/1; 2 January 1946

The Castle of Terena is a castle in the civil parish of Terena in the municipality of Alandroal in the Portuguese subregion of Alentejo Central. Since 1946, it has been listed as a National monument.

The origins of the castle are found in the period of the early Middle Ages, specifically in the 13th century, a period in which the high Guadiana was a frontier territory with Castile. The earliest registers indicated that a foral was passed by royal knight Gil Martins and his wife, D. Maria João in 1262. It is unclear whether, after this charter, the construction of the structure was begun. Owing to the interest of King Denis to consolidate his kingdom's frontiers, the castle was part of a course of fortresses that included Castle of Elvas, Castle of Juromenha and Castle of Alandroal. Another perspective suggests that the castle was actually constructed in the 15th century, during the reign of King John I of Portugal. This hypothesis is founded in the donation of the town of Terena to the Order of São Bento de Avis, which could have been the impetus for the site to be renovated from a previous garrison (although it highly dubious). By 1380, the castle and its barbican was already identified, indicating clearly that the fortress was under construction.

In 1482, King John II named Nuno Martins da Silveira as alcalde and, in the first decades of the 16th century, this redoubt was amplified during public works, that left behind several visible structures. What is clear, is that a considerable portion of the structure survived from the 14th century.

Remodeled in 1509, the architect Duarte d' Armas reoriented the entrance-way through the keep tower, and erected two towers on either side of this structure.

A new foral was issued in 1512 by King Manuel I of Portugal. A couple years later, the keep tower was remodelled again, this time by Francisco de Arruda, who altered the systems of access: he constructed a barbican, that forced the visitor to follow a path that was less direct to the main road.