Castle of Ourique

Ourique, Portugal, Portugal

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Castle of Ourique in Ourique, Portugal, was rebuilt between the 13th and 14th centuries by King D. Dinis, likely atop an ancient Romanized castro previously occupied by the Moors, and later entrusted to the Order of São Tiago as part of frontier defenses.

Linked to the legendary 1139 Battle of Ourique where Afonso Henriques defeated Moorish forces—pivotal to Portugal's founding—the Gothic fortress featured an oval plan with a tower and main door encircling the settlement, receiving its first charter in 1290 and a Manueline renewal in 1510.

Largely demolished in the 1960s with scant original remnants, a water tank now occupies the former tower site atop its hillock at 245 meters, overlooking the Campo de Ourique plain amid 21 medieval silos and modern restorations like a viewpoint.