Castro de Sacóias

Castro of Sacóias
Castro de Sacóias
Fortified Settlement of Sacóias
Etymology: Sacóias
Coordinates: 41°51′47.26″N 6°41′24.84″W / 41.8631278°N 6.6902333°W / 41.8631278; -6.6902333
CountryPortugal
RegionNorte
SubregionAlto Trás-os-Montes
DistrictBragança
MunicipalityBragança
Elevation
680 m (2,230 ft)
ManagementInstituto Gestão do Patrimonio Arquitectónico e Arqueológico
OperatorCâmara Municipal de Torres Vedras
StatusNational Monument
Monumento Nacional
ListingDecree 16 June 1910; DG136, 23 June 1910

The Castro of Sacóias (Portuguese: Povoado Fortificado de Sacóias/Castro de Sacóias) is a former fortified settlement and archeological site in the civil parish of Baçal, municipality of Bragança in the Alto Trás-os-Montes subregion of the Portuguese Norte Region.[1]

History[edit]

It is likely that the site was constructed during the Iron Age, and restructured over time.[1] It was occupied by Roman settlers during the Roman occupation of the Iberian peninsula.[1]

During the second half of the 18th century, the then-existing religious temple was moved from the Castro to the main settlement, to substitute an older chapel, then housing a baptismal fountain and conserving the Blessed Sacrament.[1]

The Castro, and group of existing structures, are of individual importance that resulted in it being designated a National Monument in 1910, as well as a structure of municipal interest by the council of Bragança.[1]

Architecture[edit]

The site is located on an isolated, rural hilltop rising over the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Assunção.[1] It consists of a destroyed fortified settlement, with small walls constructed with small stones, in addition to remnants of tiles, bricks and millstones.[1] Most of the artefacts unearthed from the site was collected by the Sociedade Martins Sarmento, and presented at the Municipal Museum of Bragança and Archaeological Museum.[1]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Jana, Ernesto (1993), SIPA (ed.), Povoado Fortificado de Sacóias (IPA.00000552/PT010402040001) (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: SIPA –Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico, archived from the original on 6 March 2016, retrieved 30 December 2015

Sources[edit]

  • Fernandes, Armando; Rodrigues, Luís Alexandre (2004), Monografia das Freguesias do Concelho de Bragança (in Portuguese), Bragança, Portugal: Câmara Municipal de Bragança
  • Lopo, Albino dos Santos Pereira (1987), Apontamentos Arqueológicos (in Portuguese), Braga, Portugal{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)