Beja

#151 Castelo de Beja
Beja, Baixo Alentejo, Portugal
Late 13th century + 1310
This is NOT an official Lego site

The present castle was built by King Denis [Diniz], who ruled Portugal and the Algarve from 1279 until his death in 1325. The castle was built at the dominate position in the strategic town of Beja, atop the remains of a Roman fort and a Moorish castle. It is unknown if remnants of the Arab structure were incorporated into Denis' castle. The donjon, called the Tower of Menagem, was begun in 1310, and is the tallest in Portugal at 131 feet [40 M]. The square in front of the castle is named for the 91 year old knight, Gonçalo Mendes da Maia (aka "o Lidador") who died defending Beja in 1169.

Beja became a regional capitol called Pax-Julia in the Roman Empire when Julius Caesar made peace in 48 BC with the local Lusitanians. In 409 Ad, however Iberia was overrun by the Suevi and later the Visigoths, upon the collapse of the Roman Empire, and the town was renamed Paca. Arab occupation began in 713 when an Omayyad army conquered the area. Beginning in 910 there were successive attempts by the Christians to the north to reconquer southern Spain and Portugal. The many invasions and reinvasions until the final conquest by King Sancho II in 1234 decimated the population, and Beja did not reach the status of a city until 1521 under King Manuel I.

The castle was enhanced and cannon bastions added in response to The Portuguese Restoration War (1640-1667) and the castle was overrun and more than 1200 people killed by Napoleon's army under General Junot in 1808. Despite part of the walls being dismantled for a Church of the now-defunct College of Jesuits, the castle was declared a national monument in 1910, and many repair projects have been carried out since then. On November 13, 2014, a portion of the tower's battlements fell into the courtyard - but the damage has already been repaired.


Construction begins on Dec- ember 21 with the castle laid out using my new plan.	Keeping Mallow & Greenknowe up through our New Years Eve party means pictures only from the northwest [previous] and southwest for the next couple of weeks.	December 22 is spent getting started on the extensive landscaping job ahead.	The donjon is on somewhat lower ground then the castle's barbican and entrance gate.


By the end of day 2, there has been real progress...	...particularly on the barbican and entrance courtyard areas.	By the end of December 23. the landscaping is done between the NE Tower and the donjon...	...and the north end of the castle has some low walls.


At the end of December 26, walls surround the entire castle.	The dark gray hinges have arrived so work on the round barbican towers can begin.	By January 7 the building table had been cleared so 10 days progress can be seen.	The barbican is built, as are the twin towers that guard the main entrance.


The courtyard building is almost complete, and the donjon base is rising!	On January 12 work has concent- rated on the massive donjon...	...with its curved balcony and complex windows.	The final construction picture features the completed courtyard building.

Photos of the Lego Model Built December 2015 - January 2016

The castle is completed on January 17	A nice view from the southwest	A low crenellated wall protects the base of the huge donjon	The view of the castle from the north	And from the northeast


The view from the east nicely highlights the barbican and 5 of the castle's 6 towers	Here is a closer look at the well thought out barbican	And the view from atop the 131' donjon!	The iong stairway to the wall walk


The oddly shaped western tower	A closer view of the hall/ stable building from the front	And from the side	The Torre de Menagem (Tower of Homage) has unusual merlons	And very ornate windows, which were fun to design

Build Your Own
The plan is too large for me to scan, but I was able to extract top down views of the barbican, hall and donjon

Barbican Plan	Keep Top Down	Hall Top Down


The outer courtyard with building foundations	The door to the inner castle


Southeast Elevation	North Elevation	Northeast Cross-section


Front Elevation	Southwest Elevation


Hall Elevations	SE Elevation of Tower