MONSANTO
N 40.04616; W 7.11599
Monsanto (or Monsanto da Beira) was a Portuguese parish in the municipality of Idanha-a-Nova, in the province of Beira Baixa, in the Centro region (Beiras Region) and sub-region of Beira Interior Sul, with an area of 131.95 km² and 829 inhabitants (2011). Density: 6.3 inhabitants/km².
It formed a new parish called União das Freguesias de Monsanto and Idanha-a-Velha, of which it is the headquarters.
Attached Locations:
Adingeiro
Carroqueiro
Lagar Maria Martins
Lagar de Água
Lagar de Junho
Torre
Relva
Devesa
Carriçal
Afonsoeanes
Carro Quebrado
Cidral
Monsantela
Valado
Barreiro
Eugénia
Fonte do Carvalho
Amial
Pomar
Carroqueiro
Lagar Maria Martins
Lagar de Água
Lagar de Junho
Torre
Relva
Devesa
Carriçal
Afonsoeanes
Carro Quebrado
Cidral
Monsantela
Valado
Barreiro
Eugénia
Fonte do Carvalho
Amial
Pomar
History
Monsanto can be seen on the slope of a large steep slope, called the Pelourinho de Monsanto (Mons Sanctus). It is located northeast of Guarda and bursts suddenly from the countryside. At the highest point, its peak reaches 100 meters. Archeology tells us that the place was inhabited by barbarians, at the foot of the mountain. There are also traces of the Visigothic and Arab passage. The Moors would be defeated by Dom Afonso Henriques. In 1165, the site of Monsanto was donated to the King of Portugal who, under the guidance of Gualdim Pais, had the Castle of Monsanto built.
It was Dom Sancho I who repopulated and rebuilt the fortress which, however, had been destroyed in the struggles against the Kingdom of León. They would be repaired again, a century later, by the Knights Templar.
In the middle of the 17th century, Luis de Haro y Guzmán (minister of Philip IV of Spain), tries to besiege Monsanto, but without success. In the 18th century, the Duke of Berwick also besieged Monsanto, but the Portuguese army, commanded by the Marquês das Minas, defeated the invader on the difficult slopes that rise up to the castle. Monsanto was the county seat from 1758 to 1853. In 1815 a serious accident, caused by lightning, destroyed its medieval castle, by the explosion of the ammunition magazine.
It was recently chosen as one of the filming locations for "House of the Dragon", the prequel to the famous series, "Game of Thrones".
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