Spain · 9th century
Castrodouro Castle ranks #7,283 of 9,040 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #371 of the 606 mapped in Spain. Founded c. 850, it is older than 94% of the atlas's dated landmarks, one of 85 atlas entries founded in the 9th century. 1 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. See how Spain compares in the castle statistics.
Castrodouro Castle is a small fortification in Alfoz, Galicia, Spain, who once belonged to Pardo de Cela's family. Of the primitive castle, only the keep is preserved.
The origin of the castle dates back to a monastery founded in the 9th century by a family from Castile. Part of the Diocese of Mondoñedo, it was later fortified with the support of the Asturian monarchy. In the 15th century it passed into the hands of Marshal Pedro Pardo de Cela, as a dowry for his wedding with Isabel de Castro, niece of Bishop Pedro Enrique de Castro.
When in December 1483 Pedro Pardo de Cela was beheaded by order of the Catholic Monarchs, it returned to the property of the Diocese of Mondoñedo, then ruled by Bishop Diego Soto Valera. He converted it into an episcopal residence, a function it maintained until the 17th century, when it was abandoned.
Since the 19th century it has belonged to the Alfoz municipality, and was used for most of the 20th century as the town hall and the Municipal Court. Nowadays it houses the Alfoz visitor centre and a museum.
Text adapted from “Castrodouro Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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