Braga Castle, Portugal

The castle of Braga dates from the 3rd century AD and had a polygonal plan, reinforced by turrets. In the 13th century, following the Christian reconquest, the castle was rebuilt and some of the old Roman walls were abandoned. The new walls were proven ineffective when, in the 1370s, the city was invaded by the Castilian troops. By the end of the 14th century, the walls were reinforced and new towers were built.
From the 16th century, the castle and its walls lost its defensive purpose and were slowly abandoned. In the 18th-century archbishop, José de Bragança ordered the reconstruction of the Porta Nova gate, including arch in the Rococo style, becoming known as Arco da Porta Nova. After the 1755 earthquake, the Jesuits altered one of the towers, constructing the chapel of Our Lady of the Tower for Braga being spared the devastating effects of the earthquake. Most of the walls were demolished by 1906, remaining, from the original castle, the keep (pictured) and small segments of the walls.

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Local: Braga, Portugal

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