Route 1: The walls of Tavira II (part 4 of 6)
Table of contents for Route 1:
- Route 1: The walls of Tavira II (part 1 of 6)
- Route 1: The walls of Tavira II (part 2 of 6)
- Route 1: The walls of Tavira II (part 3 of 6)
- Route 1: The walls of Tavira II (part 4 of 6)
- Route 1: The walls of Tavira II (part 5 of 6)
- Route 1: The walls of Tavira II (part 6 of 6)
This type of construction is usually attributed to the Almoadans, however Tavira could not have resisted the three ultra-powerful sieges by land and sea to which they were subjected if it hadn’t been heavily defended.
This wall, which, following the direction of the hands of a clock, would have started close to the Old Bridge, which itself was an Islamic construction, on the corner between Rua Gonçalo Velho and Praça da República, continued into the block in front of the Town Hall, until Arco de D. Manuel, where there once would have been a door. From here it would have continued on to the castle, where it intersected the Eastern facade. A section of the castle wall is still to be seen, jutting out of the wall of a more recent building.
The outline of the castle would have been practically identical to the previous one, descending from the castle to Igreja de Santiago and continuing along the primitive wall until Calçada de Santa Maria, where, instead of veering in the direction of the castle, as the former military work would have done, it continued on in the direction of the river, where, at what is now known as Largo do Parguinho, it turned in the direction of the river mouth and ended at Largo do Terreiro da Vila, now known as Rua Gonçalo Velho.
Here it continued until the point where we began this description; the place where Rua Gonçalo Velho intersects Praça da República.
This wall was to see the opening of a few entrances:
1st - The one that was replaced by Porta de D. Manuel and which gave access to the gulf which would have existed at what is now Praça da República;
2nd - another on Largo do Postigo, the narrowest door, through which, according to the chronicles, the proud monks, commanded by Dom Paio Peres Correia, would have gained access;
3rd - Porta da Bela Fria, an entrance of great importance, located as it was on the Roman road running from Baesuris to Balsa and Ossonoba and from here went North, to Alentejo.
4th - Still in the North face, the city would have had another door, namely the Pelames door, also situated on the Roman road. In the yard of the city, now Rua Gonçalo Velho was to see the opening of two further doors; the Terreiro da Vila door, on the aforementioned Roman road and the river;
6th - a connecting door, of which the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Piedade remains - clear Christianisation of one of the accesses to the city.
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