Attractions and Places To See around São Bento Do Cortiço - Top 19

The pousada is a castle built by King Dionysius for Queen Elizabeth of Portugal in the 13th century. It is located in the heart of the old town and is considered one of the most beautiful pousadas in Portugal.

The view of the castle from the west is particularly impressive. There you can clearly see the fortress character with its protruding walls.

Unfortunately, access to the viewing platform and the statue will be closed in May 2025.

Fonte da Gadanha Square is dominated by Lake Gadanha. Next to it is the 13th-century Convento São Francisco, dating from the reign of King Afonso III, which served as a barracks after secularization. From here, you have a magnificent view up to the castle and the castle. The square is surrounded by other interesting monuments and fountains.

It was built on the site where, during the reign of King Afonso III (1248-1279), a chapel dedicated to Saint Bento stood. His coat of arms can be seen at the end of the arch of the main chapel. The building is classified as a National Monument. Inside are the Chapel of the Third Franciscan and the Chapel of Saint Francis of Portugal (also a National Monument).

The famous statue of "Gadanha," located in the lake, originates from the Congregados Monastery and was only moved to the center of the lake in the mid-19th century. It originally represented the god Saturn, a symbol of abundance. The inscription on the base reads: "Time passes quickly."

Queen Saint Isabel of Aragon (1270-1336), wife of King D. Diniz (1261-1325), died in the Castle of Estremoz, at the age of 66, on July 4, 1336, from a sudden illness that occurred while she was heading to the border on a mission to bring peace between her son, D. Afonso IV (1291-1357), and her grandson, Alfonso XI of Castile (1311-1350). Against everyone's advice, D. Afonso wanted to fulfill his mother's purpose of being buried in the Monastery of Santa Clara. The long journey took place under the blazing July sun and, to everyone's amazement, despite the intense heat, the coffin gave off such a pleasant perfume that "no one had ever seen such a noble odour", as can be read in her first anonymous biography, known as “Legend or Relation”, written immediately after her death by someone who had been close to her, probably her confessor, Friar Salvado Martins, Bishop of Lamego, or one of the owners of Santa Clara who looked after her during her widowhood. The virtues of the Queen, later considered a Saint, were the reason for her beatification by Leo X (1475-1521) in 1516, with authorisation for her worship to be restricted to the Diocese of Coimbra. In 1556, Pope Paul IV (1476-1559) extended the Elizabethan devotion to the entire Kingdom of Portugal. It would be Pope Urban VIII (1568-1664), given the incorruption of the body and the report of miracles, who would proclaim in 1625, the canonization of Isabella of Aragon as a Holy Queen.

The Estremoz Castle was built in a dominant position on a hill to the north of the Serra de Ossa, in the city of Estremoz, in the district of Évora, in Alentejo, Portugal. It is a pentagonal castle with a walled enclosure, reinforced by buttresses that rise around the Torre de Menagem, a spectacular tower built in white marble, 27 metres high. It is believed that the construction of this monumental tower lasted through three reigns: D. Afonso IV, D. Pedro and D. Fernando, and, for this reason, it is known as the Torre das Três Coroas. Beyond the medieval wall, the town of Estremoz has a vast expanse of fortifications from the epic Restoration War, where the towers with battlements and two arched gates stand out, next to which there is a rectangular tower in the Roman-Gothic style, with several windows.