Castelo de Longroiva

The medieval castle of Longroiva, classified as a national monument, is one of the most important examples of military Templar architecture of Beira Interior and one of the best testimonies to Romanesque castle in the region. Built on an alleged castro pre-Roman, erected between the centuries IV and II century BC, its construction will coincide with a significant outbreak of settlement in the region, in the early 12TH century, having belonged to the order of the temple and to the order of Christ. In the 18th century, with the progressive loss of importance of the town, has been documenting the progressive ruin of the Castle and, in the 19th century, the Castle passed to serve as supply of stone for construction and the interior of the castle was turned into a cemetery, which still today preserves use. In the 20th century, ali performed investigations have revealed some of the original structures, such as the cistern, and the conservation work allowed still remain parts of the walls and the keep, which was one of the first to be built in Portugal, second epigraph dated to 1174.