Castle of Sortelha
Sabugal, Guarda - Portugal
O “Castelo de Sortelha” localiza-se na freguesia de Sortelha, concelho do Sabugal, distrito da Guarda, em Portugal.
Erguido sobre um maciço granítico em posição dominante sobre o vale de Ribacoa, área de passagem entre a Meseta Ibérica e a depressão da Cova da Beira, integra o conjunto da que é considerada uma das mais bem conservadas Aldeias Históricas da Beira Interior.
Hoje em dia constitui-se em importante ponto turístico da região, integrando, juntamente com os castelos de Alfaiates, Sabugal, Vila do Touro e Vilar Maior, a chamada “Rota dos 5 Castelos”.
História
Antecedentes
Acredita-se que a primitiva ocupação humana do local remonte à pré-história, possivelmente a um castro Neolítico, posteriormente Romanizado.
O castelo medieval
À época da Reconquista cristã da região, a então denominada “Pena Sortelha” constituiu-se em defesa deste trecho da fronteira, disputada entre os reinos de Portugal e de Leão. A partir de 1187, Sancho I de Portugal (1185-1211) tomou medidas para repovoar a região, a ele se devendo a fundação desta vila entre 1210 e 1211, época em que se acredita tenha sido edificado o castelo, que existia já em 1220. O seu neto homónimo, Sancho II de Portugal (1223-1248) concedeu foral à vila (1228), seguindo o modelo de Ávila / Évora.
Com a assinatura do Tratado de Alcanizes (12 de setembro de 1297), que assegurou definitivamente a posse da região para a Coroa de Portugal, Dinis I de Portugal (1279-1325) empreendeu a beneficiação ou reconstrução do castelo e da cerca da vila. Este soberano outorgou carta de feira à vila.
Diante do crescimento demográfico, teve lugar uma nova intervenção nas defesas da vila, por iniciativa de Fernando I de Portugal (1367-1383), com a construção de uma nova cerca.
Sob o reinado de João I de Portugal (1385-1433) o “Rol dos Besteiros do Conto” (1422) informa-nos a existência de 2130 habitantes na vila. Ainda no século XV sabe-se que era alcaide do castelo Manuel Sardinha, a quem sucedeu Pêro Zuzarte.
Com a ascensão de Manuel I de Portugal (1495-1521) ao trono, a “Inquirição” de 1496 refere apenas a existência de 144 habitantes. Este soberano outorgou o “Foral Novo” à vila (1510), assegurando-lhe o privilégio de que os seus habitantes não estavam obrigados a dar hospedagem aos grandes e pequenos do reino, se essa fosse a vontade do povo de Sortelha. Esse soberano também iniciou uma campanha de obras no castelo, dentre as quais subsistem as armas manuelinas sobre a sua porta e a chamada “Varanda do Juiz” também conhecida por "Varanda de Pilatos", que se ergue sobre a porta virada a noroeste.
Sob o reinado de João III de Portugal (1521-1557), Garcia Zuzarte, Guarda-mor de D. Manuel I, tornou-se alcaide-mor de Sortelha (1522). Ainda sob D. João III, D. Luís da Silveira, guarda-mor de D. Manuel I e do próprio D. João III, adquiriu o castelo, tornando-se seu alcaide. Este soberano elevou a vila a cabeça de Condado, ao criar o título de conde de Sortelha em favor daquele nobre, por carta de 22 de julho de 1527. Nesse mesmo ano, o “Numeramento” (1527) dá conta da existência de 383 habitantes na vila.
Da Guerra da Restauração aos nossos dias
No contexto da Guerra da Restauração da independência (1640-1668) procedeu-se a adaptação parcial das antigas estruturas defensiva às novas técnicas militares, nomeadamente o entaipamento da denominada “Porta Falsa” a noroeste, a reconstrução do adarve e do remate dos muros da cerca. À época, dentro do castelo existiu uma prisão, de que era carcereiro o lugar-tenente do alcaide-mor.
Desguarnecido posteriormente, quando a sede do Conselho foi extinta em 1855 tanto a vila quanto o seu castelo entraram em processo de decadência.
O conjunto do “Castelo de Sortelha e muralhas da vila”, também referido como “Castelo e cerca urbana de Sortelha” encontra-se classificado como Monumento Nacional por Decreto de 16 de junho de 1910, publicado no Diário do Governo, I Série, n.º 136, de 23 de julho.
O conjunto encontra-se afeto à Câmara Municipal do Sabugal, por auto de cessão de 3 de setembro de 1940.
Nesse momento iniciaram-se trabalhos de intervenção e restauro por iniciativa da Direcção-Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (DGEMN), nos anos de 1940-1945, 1951-1952, 1984. Mais tarde, em 2000-2001, no âmbito do programa de recuperação das Aldeias Históricas, teve lugar a reconstrução do rombos e pavimentação do adarve em todo o perímetro.
Características
Exemplar de arquitetura militar, românico e gótico, com intervenção manuelina, de enquadramento urbano, isolado, implantado num cabeço entre as serras da Malcata e da Pena, na cota de 786 metros acima do nível do mar, sobranceiro ao arrabalde da vila e ao vale.
Castelo de tipo roqueiro, integrado na periferia do antigo núcleo urbano, este circundado por um perímetro muralhado de traçado ovalado irregular acompanhando as curvas de nível e os afloramentos rochosos onde assenta diretamente. O castelo prolonga-se para o exterior da cerca, com barbacã elíptica, estreita, e torre de menagem de planta retangular, sobre os penhascos; a porta é protegida por balcão com mata-cães.
A cortina de muralhas que cerca o núcleo urbano mais antigo é de traçado elíptico irregular e está parcialmente apoiada em afloramentos rochosos, que predominam a leste e a sul. É rasgada por quatro portas: a “Porta da Vila” ou “Porta do Concelho”, orientada a leste, em arco quebrado na frente e rebaixado no tardoz, coberta com abóbada de berço abatido; no lado oposto, a “Porta Nova” ou “Porta Nova da Vila”, em arco pleno e coberta com uma abóbada de berço, tendo esculpidas no pé-direito as medidas padrão da vara e do côvado em uso no antigo Concelho; a noroeste rasga-se a “Porta Falsa”, em arco quebrado, havendo outra de igual denominação a sul, junto ao Castelo, em arco ultrapassado do lado exterior e arco pleno do lado interior. A noroeste, junto da primeira “Porta Falsa”, eleva-se a “Torre do Facho”, de planta quadrangular, com embasamento escalonado e desprovida de vãos. No cunhal sudeste, junto à “Porta da Vila”, um pequeno torreão ou vigia sobre o adarve, de planta circular e coroamento cónico. Aqui foi erguido um marco geodésico, assinalando o ponto mais elevado da região. A muralha está truncada, existindo do lado leste somente o arranque da mesma, reconstruído, e do remate apenas subsiste parte do caminho de ronda que a circundava.
O castelo dispõe-se a sudeste, interrompendo a muralha da vila e desenvolvendo-se para o exterior na direção nordeste, com traçado elíptico, estreito, muito irregular, salientando-se no ângulo sudoeste o corpo de um cubelo trapezoidal; a barbacã é rasgada por duas portas: a oeste a “Porta do Castelo”, em arco pleno, encimada por balcão retangular com mata-cães e troneiras (denominado "Varanda do Juiz"), ladeado por pedra de armas com brasão real e esferas armilares, e a sul a “Porta Falsa”, com lintel reto e pés-direitos oblíquos. O remate está truncado subsistindo apenas do lado norte parte do adarve com remate biselado parcialmente provido de seteiras cruciformes. No interior do recinto, com pavimento de terra batida onde são visíveis alguns restos de estruturas, abre-se uma cisterna de parapeito retangular e eleva-se a torre de menagem sobre um penhasco que preenche quase metade do terreiro, adossada à muralha do lado noroeste. Esta apresenta planta retangular, de piso único, com um embasamento escalonado, uma porta a sudeste, de lintel reto com pés-direitos oblíquos, encimada por arco de descarga de volta perfeita, e 3 seteiras distribuídas pelas restantes fachadas; remate em merlões retangulares com coroamento piramidal; o acesso à "Varanda do Juiz" faz-se pelo adarve, abrindo para a mesma um arco pleno ladeado por seteiras, seguindo-se no extremo o cubelo com passagem por arco reto.
Defronte da porta do castelo ergue-se o pelourinho da vila, manuelino.
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