Castle of Noudar

The Castle of Noudar (Portuguese: Castelo de Noudar) is a Portuguese medieval castle in the civil parish and municipality of Barrancos, in the district of Beja.

The settlement (sometimes referred to as Nodar or Noudall) was founded in 1167, but taken from the Moors by Gonçalo Mendes da Maia. Archaeological excavations revealed vestiges of human occupation in the place since the Calcolithic Age, that included the alcáçova and northern spaces. The area between keep tower and residential areas were not occupied during the period of Islamic occupation.

On 6 December 1253, King D. Alfonso X of Castile (the Wise) conceded forals (charters) to Noudar, Arouche, Aracena, Moura and Serpa. He would eventually donate all these lands to his daughter D. Beatriz, whom he had marry the defeated King D. Afonso III after his invasion of Portugal. The marriage contract, bound the territory to Portugal, and the lands would be returned to their heirs. During D. Afonso X's battle with his successor, the prince D. Sancho, D. Beatriz placed the lands and forces under the disposal of her father's armies, but they were eventually defeated by partisans loyal to the Infant.

Following the 1295 peace treaty between King D. Dinis and King D. Fernando IV (heir of D. Sancho), Noudar returned to the crown of Portugal. Quickly, on 16 December 1295, Denis signed a new foral for Noudar, but eventually he would donate the lands to the Order of Aviz (on 25 November 1307), this following his determination that the nuns and master D. Lourenço Afonso promoted the settlement of the region with the construction of a castle, wall and fortress. To further promote settlement along the frontier, on 16 January 1308, King Denis excepted the residences in the town from debts; conceded graces to the Masters of Avis (for their help with agriculture and for their support of vassals in the preceding fours years); and took from them crops of the Commendas of their order; and instituted a couto with royal protection for the next five years.

An inscription stone was originally affixed to the tower keep (today missing, but referred to by Gustavo de Matos Sequeira) noted that D. Lourenço Afonso, master of the Order of Avis, was ordered by D. Dinis to found the castle and town of Noudar.

Text adapted from “Castle of Noudar” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Castle of Noudar ranks #4,305 of 8,133 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #55 of the 205 mapped in Portugal. Founded 1167, it is older than 81% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 563 atlas entries founded in the 12th century. The nearest day-trip guide is Évora, 86 km away. It is one of the 48 landmarks on the atlas's regional map of the Alentejo. See how Portugal compares in the castle statistics.

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