In terms of Portugal's Beira region, Belmonte is a smallish to mid-size city (pop. 6,859 in 2011). It's directly west of Alfaiates and Sabugal, and is specifically in an area called Cova de Beira, according to the old provincial scheme. Belmonte is also well-known as a center for the Spanish-Portuguese Jewish community.
In the valley just north of the city, is a site called Centum Cellas, an ancient Roman villa that dates from first century. We drive less than ten minutes out of our way so that we can check it out. We find it on a suburban-looking street, small white houses, red tile roofs, and all haunted by this colossal dark skeleton.
Torre de Centum Cellas stands in a broad, dusty lot, on a dusty, dirt drive, fenced-off with wire mesh. A few signs seem to warn that entry is at your own risk, with graphics of falling rocks and so forth, but there is no other information. There's an opening and you just walk in. Some patches are measured with stakes and strings, and there is some precise digging, so some level of archeology is happening. The area surrounding the ruin is a tetris-field of blocks and square spaces.
Once again, the strong morning sun is both a help and a hinderance, leaving the north and west facades in shadow, but creating all sorts of appealing, grid-like patterns inside. The raking light does bring out the timber pockets at the 'second floor', looking like perforations where the rock fabric is ripped. The masonry above this 'attic' level is more crude, and appear to be 'newer' infill between older, larger remnants.
The remaining tower must have been the central hall of a vast complex, with wood floors and extensions on all sides. Additional stone foundations to the north and south, and extending back to the street to the east, suggest service rooms arranged around an even larger courtyard.
A cornice runs the perimeter of the 'first floor', both on the tower's interior and the exterior, but there appears to be a line of timber pockets only on the east-exterior. However, the large 'central openings' on all sides suggest there must have been some kind of floor or continuous balcony at that level. There also appear to be the remains of broken stone beams on either side of these 'central openings' on all the other sides: north, west, and south. The missing structure to the east (facing the courtyard) might have been more substantial.
Additionally, to the north, the remains of a wall on the east side, and additional stone beams suggest other structures extending in that direction. This is reinforced by what appear to be basins within the foundation stone, on the grounds to the north.
To the south the work appears more fine; perhaps these were more formal spaces, for relaxing in the sun. Also, the shapes of the lower-level door openings indicates there may have been wood lintels or trim, but the south passage has a more elaborate silhouette (assuming that most of the block work is intact).
Next, we drive up and park by the Castelo de Belmonte, and notice the great Manueline window, the forbidding torre de menagem, the flags of Portugal and Brazil, and the 'life-size' wood cross – the sun still rising behind them. But our attention moves to the Igreja de Santiago and its torre sineira on the other side of the parking lot. Perhaps the morning is lighting our way.
The Igreja also contains the Panteão de Cabrais (tombs of the Cabrals), the family of Pedro Álvares Cabral, the man credited with the discovery of Brazil. The Panteão is the small chapel on the north side, between the church and the bell tower. However, Pedro Álvarez, who was born near Belmonte, is not buried here, himself. His tomb is in the Igreja de Graça in Santarém, though there is a small ark on the plinth that contain a few of his ashes. Still, this connection makes Belmonte a center for the Brazilian community as well (thus the flag above the castelo).
Close by, in a small courtyard, is the old parish church. The traveller enters unawares, and before he has gone three steps comes to a halt in amazement. It is one of the most beautiful sights he has ever seen. To say it is Romanesque but also transitional Gothic would be to say everything and nothing. What is most impressive is how all the forms are balanced, and how bare all the stonework is, apart from its irregular joints. It is like the interior of a body, and far more beautiful than one could expect on entering. The eyes immediately fix on the unadorned chapel formed by four arches, standing out from the triumphal arch, along one wall of which is a sculpted group showing the Virgin with the dead Christ stretched out on her lap, his bearded face turned towards us, the wound in his side. She is not looking at anything, him or us. Their heads have been repainted several times, but the beauty of the whole, fashioned from hard granite, is quite sublime. Belmonte offers the traveller one of the most moving aesthetic experiences in his whole life. (José Saramago, “Journey to Portugal,” 1990; trans Hopkinson-Caistor, 2000)
The interior is beautifully restored and maintained, and dates from the thirteenth century. Our eyes are most certainly drawn to the Gothic chapel with the painted pietá, and the altar with the impressive fresco triptych.
The fourteenth-century chapel is for Dona Maria Gil Cabral, patroness of the church and great-grandmother of Pedro Álvarez. The docent tells us the pietá is made from a single piece of wood, and points out the Cabral crest, the shield with two goats, on the sepulcher.
The docent also explains that the frescos were hidden under azulejos, like the frescos in Abrantes. The heroic fresco in the altar represents: the Virgin Mary holding the Christ child, St James holding a staff and scallop shell, and St Peter holding a key (?) and a book. Local legend holds that the image of St Peter is a portrait of Pedro Álvarez. The colors and expressions have luckily lasted the years, along with the simple architectural setting, and the spirited floral decorations.
We ask the docent if it is permitted to climb the stairs of the torre sineira, and he says yes.
We access the Castelo de Belmonte up a ramp from the south. Opposite the ramp, there are a number of chapels, one dedicated to the Calvário and one to Santo António. As at Sabugal, there is an entry fee, as well as offices for the local tourism board in the adjoining building. The entrance is to the right, through several arches, always turning to the left – a kind of defensive zigzag, but visually, the arches play against each other as well.
Entering the ward, we see it has been converted into an amphitheater and some kind of performance space, again like Sabugal. The restrooms are roughly integrated into the parapet, and a steel staircase gives admittance to the Manueline window, the walls, and the keep.
The Manueline window is clearly a 'more recent' addition to the fortress, but in terms of defense, there are timber pockets for the braces that would hold a barricade in the opening. Especially fascinating are the 'hooked' grooves on the right, to slide the braces into place.
To the left, an arrow loop gives a very narrow view of the bell tower of the Igreja Matriz on the next hill.
A steel catwalk takes us to a guard position overlooking the main gate, with long views, and another Cabral crest over the porta.
But there are no other bastions or ramparts, the castelo is a single wall following a 'blobby', unformed plan. Inside the keep, there are the leftovers of a mini-museum exhibition, but the artifacts are roped off and we cannot inspect them. Another stair takes us up to the terraço. But the pitched roof of the tower prevents a panoramic vista. We do a lap around and look out between the crenellations.
Even with the 'missed opportunities', the visit is entertaining, and we have no complaints – off-season tourism. We see the folks here are woking to improve the experience, and hope to return when their work is done.
While researching the trip, the city of Belmonte intrigued us, but our timing is off today. We finish with the castelo just before lunch, which means the Museu Judaico is about to close as we are ready to enter. It won't reopen for two hours. We look around for a good lunch spot, but don't find anything to tempt us.
We decide to shift our lunch to Sortelha and spend our afternoon there.
My goodness, the drive to Sortelha is quite the 'long and winding road' experience. We first drive by the village of Arrabalde, where the hills level-out and the house-sized rocks dominate the surroundings. Heading south, we reach the top of the hill, and see the Torre Relógio, but not the rest of the castelo. Clearly we have not reached the top, and the rocks continue to increase in number and size.
We pass the Torre Relógio; the road narrows, turns to the west, and past more rocks. In glimpses, the castle tower appears between the remaining trees – a perfect cube set on a dusky outcrop. Then, a screen of blocks and boulders rises over the roadway and leads us to the tiny parking lot in front of the Porta da Vila.
Like Alfaiates, Sortelha (pop. 444 in 2011) is a town from the past. It was in the província tradicional of Beira Baixa, and was the county seat in the thirteenth century. Now, it is a freguesia in the município of Sabugal, and an empty, preserved, aldeia. Which is not to say it isn't gorgeous – it is. Oh yes, it is.
From the porta, we arrive to a kind of praça (Largo do Côrro). The walls behind us are three stories high, but the buildings are hobbit-like – doors and windows are easily mistaken. The fortress wall continues to the north, integrated with the topography. Looming over all this is the castle tower, a glimmering grey monolith.
Before we assault the keep, we want to explore the village, and head for the high ground. We chose a small bell tower as our destination. During our ascent, on a level terrace, we find the Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora das Neves, from the fourteenth century. Just above the Igreja, a number of treads have been chiseled in the rock. We follow these up to the torre sineira and enjoy some glorious views.
Near the torre is a café-bar (O Campanário) and there are a few other people milling about. Outside the restaurant, these are the only other people we have seen. We proceed over the boulder, and down the other side to the Porta Falsa. Passing through, we engage a landscape of moraines, grass and shrubs, and in the distance, the Serra da Estrela. Within that field we pick out the "Cabeça da Velha", an enormous stone that resembles an old lady's head (near the power pole in the photo).
Turning and looking back at the Porta Falsa, we register the height of walls. Next to the porta is the Torre do Facho (beacon tower), like the prow of a great landed ship, where fires were lit to send warnings to the neighboring towns – just like the Lord of the Rings.
The Torre Relógio seems to be quite some way from the village, and like the little bell tower, we imagine there could be good views from that location. So we make our way around the outside of the walls, to the north and to the east.
The path is laid with natural pavers, and constrained by pavers stood on end – we assume to prevent any unnecessary wandering over fragile ground cover. The antennae atop the Torre Relógio slowly emerge, and then the crown of the torre itself. The views from the torre platform are wonderful, but there is outstanding scenery along the entire walk.
The path swings to the south and west, and carries us back to the tiny parking lot, where we re-enter Sortelha, and seek out the Pelourinho. There, in the square, we also see the old Junta de Freguesia (with the small bell), and the entryway to the castelo. To one side of the stairs that leads to the gate, is another porta falsa (traitor's gate), but as they say, that second step is a doozy.
The Castelo de Sortelha dates from the early thirteenth century. Though many of the fortifications predate the castle, most of the high walls are from the fourteenth century. The building stock generally dates from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
The Porta Entrada is set between mossy boulders, and below a box-machicolation. In the ward, the ground looks much like the terrain near the Torre Relógio, sandy and steep, and supplemented by tumbled blocks. There are a few ways to scramble to the tops of the walls, but nothing that looks 'official' – no stairs, no railings, no warnings.
Climbing on these walls feels extremely unsettling – some serious vertigo is possible. The fortress stretches to the east, and curls to a lookout. Taking that bend along the upper wall, there appears to be no way into the torre menagem. There is a door that faces south, but no way up. We surmise it's a defensive feature: knock out the scaffold or ladder, and your enemies cannot follow.
That is just as well, as we can see there is no roof, and (recalling Centum Cellas) we imagine there is no floor. Reaching the guard post over the entrada, we peer through the arrow loops and the hole for the machicolation. Despite the openings, we have at least found a wall against which we lean and take cover from the wind.
Sortelha, the castelo and the aldeia, is a true national treasure – it's absolutely stunning. It does seem strange that the town is basically abandoned. Today, there are a few people in the restaurant and on the terrace of the café, but there appears to be no inhabitants. However, it is clean and cared-for, and the buildings are in phenomenal condition (though they may not meet modern building codes). We could explore and take pictures all day; it's impossible to take a bad one.
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