Castelo de Alter do Chão

In the heart of the town, in a large square, stands this imposing medieval castle, with a quadrangular plan and protected by cylindrical cubes, crowned with battlements, Gothic portals and a tall square keep. This, around 44 meters high, has a hall with a barrel-vaulted ceiling. At the entrance to the fortress, an armored marble tombstone inscribes the record of the castle's foundation, in 1359, by King Pedro I. At that time it was constituted as a defensive articulation with Estremoz, Fronteira, Évora Monte, Avis, Alter Pedroso, Marvão and Portalegre. King João I, Master of Avis, made Nuno Álvares Pereira the grantee of the village. Inherited by the Constable's daughter, in the 15th century it became part of the domain of the House of Bragança, then becoming a fortified manorial residence. D. Fernando II used the fortress as a prison.