Palmela - Castelo 
History
During the Moorish period Palmela had the most formidable fortress in southern Portugal. This was captured by King Afonso Henriques first in 1147 and then finally, after the Moors had retaken it, in 1166 when he had it further enlarged and gave it to the knightly Order of Santiago, who made it their headquarters in the 15th C. In the 18th C. the castle was again strengthened to protection it against attack from artillery as well.
During the Moorish period Palmela had the most formidable fortress in southern Portugal. This was captured by King Afonso Henriques first in 1147 and then finally, after the Moors had retaken it, in 1166 when he had it further enlarged and gave it to the knightly Order of Santiago, who made it their headquarters in the 15th C. In the 18th C. the castle was again strengthened to protection it against attack from artillery as well.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
Castelo
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Related Attractions
Igreja de Santa Maria do Castelo
Within the castle precincts are the ruins of the Igreja de Santa Maria do Castelo, a Renaissance church built on the site of an earlier Moorish mosque and which collapsed in the 1755 earthquake.
Sao Tiago
The western end of the castle precinct is occupied by the former Convent of Santiago, built in the 15th C. but subsequently much altered. Nowadays part of it is a pousada. The convent church, in a style transitional between Romanesque and Gothic, has beautiful azulejo decoration (17th and 18th C.) in the interior, and contains the tomb of Jorge de Lencastre (14811550), a natural son of King Joao II.
Torre de Menagem
From the late 14th C. keep, the Torre de Menagem, there is a good view over the whole castle complex and on a clear day you can see as far as Lisbon and the Tagus estuary. In 1484 the bishop of Évora, Garcia de Meneses, was incarcerated in the cistern of the keep, with other prisoners, for his involvement in a conspiracy, and presumed to have been poisoned there.
