English

Of kings, bishops and monks
The middle ages
Castle of Bragança (Bragança)
Others would work as defence and
vigilance of strategic routes (such
as the castle of Sarria, over the Way
of St. James), or the path over the
rivers. This happens in Mirandela,
as its monumental bridge on the Tua
river shows, and in O Barco, with the
tower of O Castro watching the place
where the former crossing boat over the
Sil river was placed, and around which
the new village would end up being
assembled.
Opposite to this defensive and
strategic function, the castles in the
hands of aristocrats show a symbolic
component, to mark the power of the
lord. This happens in the castle of
Monforte de Lemos, which keeps
its palace enclosure together with the
impressive, 30 metres high Homage
tower, and two other towers together
with some stretches of the wall of the
medieval perimeter, which made up
a true fortress-village in the hillside.
Just like the case of Monterrei after
the creation of the county, where the
former Homage tower, the one of the
Damas, is attached to the count palace
with its characteristic arcades.
Such remodelling clearly points to
the relevance of the estates whose
jurisdiction was exercised from these
castles: the counties of Monterrei and
Lemos, this last one undoubtedly one
of the most powerful ones in the whole
medieval and modern Galicia.
Castle of San Vicente do Pino (Monforte de Lemos)
Porta do Sto Atonio do Castelo (Mirandela)
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