São Jorge Castle

São Jorge Castle

A crown above the city

High above the rooftops of Lisbon, on the steepest of the city's seven hills, stands the Castle of São Jorge. Its honey-coloured walls and eleven towers look out over a sea of red roofs to the broad silver river Tagus and the Atlantic beyond. For anyone arriving by boat, the castle has always been the first great sight of the Portuguese capital — and for the people of Lisbon, it is the city's crown.

A hill fought over for centuries

People have lived and built defences on this hilltop for more than two thousand years, since long before Portugal existed. The view was simply too good — and too important — to leave unguarded. The fortress we see today, however, was largely the work of Muslim rulers who governed Lisbon for more than 400 years, when the city was part of al-Andalus, the Islamic land that covered much of Spain and Portugal. They built the strong citadel of walls and towers that still crowns the hill.

The siege of 1147

The castle's most dramatic moment came in 1147. Portugal's first king, Afonso Henriques, wanted Lisbon for his young kingdom, and with the help of a passing fleet of crusaders sailing to the Holy Land, he laid siege to the city.

For four long months the defenders held out behind these walls while the attackers battered the gates and built tall siege towers. At last, in October 1147, the city surrendered. Lisbon became Portuguese — and within a hundred years it would grow into the kingdom's capital. The castle was renamed in honour of Saint George (São Jorge in Portuguese), the soldier-saint and dragon-slayer beloved by knights across Europe.

A royal palace

For the next few centuries the castle was not just a fortress but a palace. Portuguese kings and queens lived here, held grand feasts in its halls, and welcomed ambassadors from far-off lands. It was here, by tradition, that the explorer Vasco da Gama was received in triumph after sailing all the way to India and back in 1499 — a voyage that made Portugal one of the richest kingdoms in the world.

Over time the royal court moved down to grander palaces beside the river, and the old castle on the hill became a barracks for soldiers and a prison.

Earthquake and rebirth

In 1755 a terrible earthquake struck Lisbon, followed by a giant wave and fires that destroyed much of the city and damaged the castle badly. For a long time afterwards it stood neglected, its towers crumbling.

In the 20th century the castle was rescued and restored to look once more like a proud medieval stronghold. Archaeologists digging in its grounds even uncovered the remains of houses from the Moorish town and from far older settlements, layered one beneath another like the pages of a history book.

Visiting today

Today São Jorge Castle is one of Lisbon's most popular places to visit. Visitors can walk along the ramparts, climb the towers, and watch peacocks strut among the olive trees in the gardens. From the walls there is no finer view in the city — out over the tiled domes and winding streets of old Lisbon to the great river that carried Portuguese ships to the ends of the earth.