CASTELO NOVO
GPS: N 40.07764; W 7.49409
Castelo Novo is a Portuguese parish in the municipality of Fundão, with an area of 40.51 km² and 353 inhabitants (2021). Its population density is 8.7 inhabitants/km².
History
The known archaeological remains suggest a human occupation of the territory probably since the Chalcolithic, projecting a growth of testimonies that refer to the Bronze and Iron ages and are consolidated in the Roman colonization.
In the reign of D. Manuel I, the castle was no longer exactly new, which led him to take charge of its restoration, entrusting the matter to a squire of the Royal House, who was accompanied by a master mason from Castile. Between the two broke out a heated controversy. After several heated discussions about remodeling plans, the two resorted to violence, resulting in the Castilian church of Castelo Novo being given refuge so that the squire overseeing the works would not put them in irons.
Benefiting from divine protection, the Castilian wrote to the king and asked him for clemency, which he was granted, as well as authorization to conduct the works. And the thing straightened out.
From the times when Castelo Novo was a municipality, its main symbol is preserved: the pillory
