[1] The castle was founded in 1313; on establishing a foral (charter) to this village in 1313, King Denis ordered the construction of an encirclement of walls where this town lies, of 400 arms [length] donating 100,000 pounds for the public works.

[1] The DGEMN Direcção Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (Directorate-General of Buildings and National Monuments) began a process of restoration and refurbishment in 1940, which included repairs to the battlements and walls.

[1] In 1992, the castle was placed under the management of the IPPAR Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico (Portruguese Institute for Architectural Patrimony), under decree-law 106F/92, before become the responsibility of the Instituto de Gestão do Património Arquitectónico e Arqueológico ( Institute for the Management of Architectural and Archaeological Heritage).

[1] The plan is an irregular pentagonal, with its base in the south and pointing to the north, consisting of five walls divided by five cylinderal towers at each vertex.

[1][3] Within these limit were constructed the Manueline-era parochial church (1521), attributed to Diogo de Arruda, an important mastercraftsman in the comarca of the Alentejo at the time.