Torres de Oeste
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Torres del Oeste Castle is a castle in Catoira, Spain, at the end of the Ría de Arousa. It is in the region of Caldas (Pontevedra), in the river Ulla estuary. The towers remaining today are the ruins of Castellum Honesti. Torres del Oeste has been declared a national monument.
In the 9th century, King Alfonso III of Leon built the castle as a defense against Viking attacks. The two remaining towers are from this period, and have a pre-Roman style. Two centuries later, Gelmírez was appointed the governor of the fortress by King Alfonso V of Leon. His commitment was to strengthen the Castle to protect the holy site of Santiago de Compostela. The structure of the Castle was defined in the 12th century. At that time, the enclosure of the Castle was formed by seven towers, and it was surrounded by marshes. The Castle has a 12th century chapel built by Gelmirez to honour the apostle Saint James. From the 15th century on, the Castellum Honesti began its decline.
The pre-Roman origin of the settlement has been proved thanks to the old remains of ceramics and bronze tools found.
Each summer, the first Sunday of August, there is a celebration that recalls the Viking invasion.[1]
References
- ^ Simonis, Damien, et al. (2005). Spain, p. 553. Lonely Planet. ISBN 1740597001.