The castle of Pombal, whose history is intrinsically linked to the formation of our national territory and origin of Pombal, is part of a
set of military squares (Montemor, Soure, Penela, Germanelo, Miranda do Corvo and Arouce) designed to constitute the belt defensive of the Mondego, with the purpose of monitoring and defending the accesses to the city of Coimbra which, after its definitive conquest, by the army of Fernando Magno, king of Leão, in 1064, would end up determining the border line in the Mondego valley and from where the Christian Reconquest extended.

Assuming itself as the most advanced position in the Mondego defensive line, it played a crucial role in the consolidation of the positions reached. This castle was articulated not only with the network of fortresses in the Mondego basin but also with other territories and castles further south, also under the domain of the Order of the Temple, examples of which are Ceras, Tomar and Almourol, rising as an attentive watchman on the main circulation routes of the kingdom.

As mentioned, Pombal was born with the construction of his castle, ordered to be erected, between 1156 and 1171, by Gualdim Pais, Master of the Order of the Temple. The stronghold (of the first in the Kingdom) was raised between the two dates, pointing to 1156 as the year in which his works began. In fact, to strictly establish the date on which Gualdim Pais built the castle, on top of the hill that dominates the now remarkable city of Pombal, remains involved in some controversy, however the result of the crossing of several written testimonies, the year 1156 appears. if as the most credible for the beginning of the works.

The castle of Pombal being unable to consider itself a precious example of Portuguese military architecture of the Middle Ages, due to the deformations suffered over the centuries, either due to its deficiencies in layout and structure, however it retains an aspect worthy of its traditions. In fact, the Order of the Temple, largely due to influences brought by D. Gualdim Pais da Terra Santa, where he was as a crusader, was responsible for the introduction of truly innovative solutions in Portuguese military architecture in the 2nd half of the century. XII. An example of this is the introduction of the keep and the alambor, a solution applied in the castle of Pombal. Erected on an elevated location, it guaranteed a visual dominion over the entire surrounding territory, in which its extensive walls, its square cubicles, combined with its altering donjon and,

With an irregular polygonal plan, with a escudiform configuration, it presents an architectural profile markedly rhythmic by the presence of towers. Inside the enclosure there was a set of constructions essential to the life of the friars, from the outset a church, the small temple under the invocation of São Miguel, and the palace intended for the master’s residence.

During the Low Middle Ages, the Romanesque fortification of Pombal was not subject to significant reforms. Only with D. Manuel, at a time when the war had been radically transformed, with the inclusion of devices adapted to gunpowder, was there a first reformulation of the structure. The defensive function loses importance in favor of the residential component, with Pero de Sousa Ribeiro, Mayor of Pombal and Commander of the Order of Christ, largely responsible for the improvements introduced in the early sixteenth century. Of these works, the windows torn in the castle walls stand out even today.

In the 17th century, specifically in 1663, a detailed description of the castle was made, included in the so-called Tombo de S. Martinho, reporting the existence of a square of arms with a “garden surrounded by many thorn trees”, as well as a set of “Rooms with verandas with columns, rooms with windows torn over the landscape, large and comfortable chimneys and walls lined with wood”.

Attacked by Napoleonic troops and progressively ruined, it was deeply intervened in the 20th century, by the General Directorate of Buildings and National Monuments.

Aware of the need to return the castle to the city, the Municipality of Pombal embarked on a project to upgrade and enhance the castle and surrounding hillside, promoting the enjoyment of the place, both by residents and tourists. With this intervention, inaugurated in 2014, a qualified public space was gained, interconnecting the castle and the urban areas of the lower part of the city and constituting the castle again as a pole of attractiveness and with a story to tell.

Characterization

Shield-shaped plan with wall cloths topped by prismatic battlements and reinforced at angles and at regular intervals by quadrangular turrets. The access was made through two broken arch doors, one to the southeast, between turrets; another in the northwest, torn in the reign of D. Manuel and therefore marked with the traditional symbols of this monarch: the royal shield, the armillary sphere and the cross of Christ. The imposing quadrangular donjon, with a ramp-up base and with a door on the first floor, rises close to the castle’s primitive door. Intramurals are still visible building foundations and the mouths of the cistern. In the southwestern cloth, a double window is ripped open, the main stone of which is the Sousa Ribeiro’s coat of arms, former mayors of the castle. The defense of the castle was reinforced by the existence of a partial barbican, much rebuilt by the restoration works of the 20th century. On the outside, on the platform below the hill where the castle stands, there are the ruins of a second curtain, equipped with 3 quadrangular turrets as well as what remains of a Renaissance chapel belonging to the disappeared church of Santa Maria do Castelo.