Castelo de Longroiva

Castelo de Longroiva is a medieval fortress in the village of Longroiva, in the municipality of Mêda, Guarda District, in the northern part of Portugal's Beira Interior region. It is classified as a National Monument and is one of the castles that guarded the country's eastern frontier for centuries.

Where is Longroiva Castle?

The castle stands in the heart of the small village of Longroiva, at roughly 40.964° N, 7.209° W. The area lies close to the old border with the kingdoms of León and Castile, which explains why the hilltop stronghold mattered strategically. Longroiva sits near other castles of the Mêda municipality, including Mêda and Marialva, so the three can easily be combined into one route.

What is the history of the castle?

The earliest known mention of the settlement dates to 960, when Countess Châmoa Rodrigues, granddaughter of the famous Countess Mumadona Dias, donated the fortified village to the Monastery of Guimarães. The land had been inhabited since prehistory, and after Romans, Visigoths and Arabs, it was reconquered by Ferdinand the Great of León.

In 1126 the knight Egas Gozendes II de Baião granted the settlement a charter offering privileges to anyone who made it their home, an effort to attract settlers to the borderlands. In 1145 the village was donated to the Knights Templar, and in 1176 their master Gualdim Pais rebuilt the keep. A Latin inscription once visible in the stonework recorded the date.

Under the Templars the castle played an important defensive role on Portugal's eastern border. In 1510 King Manuel I granted the village a Manueline charter, marking its shift from frontier outpost to rural administrative centre.

What can you see today?

Only a tower and the enclosure wall surrounding the area now used as the village cemetery survive. It is a modest but recognisable fragment of the former fortress, and the village itself conveys the character of Portugal's borderlands well. The castle is not a large complex, so a short visit is enough.

Frequently asked questions

Is Longroiva Castle a protected monument? Yes, it is classified as a National Monument of Portugal.

Who rebuilt the castle keep? The Templar master Gualdim Pais, in 1176.

What remains today? A tower and the wall enclosing the cemetery grounds.

Where is Longroiva? In the municipality of Mêda, Guarda District, in northern Beira Interior, Portugal.

How old is the settlement? Its earliest known record dates to 960, when it was donated to the Monastery of Guimarães.