Castelo de Sao Jorge

Castelo de Sao Jorge
1100-129 LISBOA


Opening hours:

March - October: 9 am - 9 pm
November - February: 9 am - 6 pm

Tel: (351) 218800620
Fax: (351) 218875695
E-mail: castelodesaojorge@egeac.pt


The Castle of Saint George (Castelo de Sao Jorge) is one of the oldest buildings in Lisbon. It was erected in the 10th and 11th centuries by Moors on a side of the former fortress dating back to the 5th century. The parts of this old building can still be seen here, i.ex. the original 8th century ramparts from the Arab occupation - Cerca Moura. In 1147 King Afonso Henriques - the first king of Portugal, recaptured the castle from the Moorish hands and then converted it to the Royal Residence, which served this function until 1511, when the king Manuel I moved to the new palace located on the Comercio Square (Praça do Comércio). The Castle of Saint George has a great historical, architectural and archeological value and in 1910 it was designated a National Monument.

By years most of the construction had been destroyed, in particular during the great earthquake in 1755, but there are still, among others, the 14th century extended walls - Cerca Nova or Fernandina, built during the king Fernando's reigns. It contains also such interesting buildings and places as:

Torre de Ulisses - the large tower used formerly to archive the King's documents, today there are Camera Obscura, the periscope that reveal the city;

Olisiponia - it includes three rooms: Sala Ogival, Sala das Columnas and Sala das Cisternas, now turned into the City Interpretation Centre which presents excellent multimedia show of the history of the Lisbon;

Caminho de Ronda - a path along the ramparts.

Over the centuries this, originally defense, castle had also other functions. It used to be the monarch's residence, the political centre, the prison and barracks.