Citânia de Santa Luzia (Cidade Velha), Viana do Castelo
Perched on Monte de Santa Luzia in Viana do Castelo behind the huge basilica of the Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is an Iron Age castro or fort, Citânia de Santa Luzia.
Known to locals as Cidade Velha or the "old town," the site is believed to have been occupied from around 500 BCE to the end of the Roman period.
The Citânia de Santa Luzia is a notable example of the many fortified settlements found in the Minho region of northern Portugal. The most important being Citânia de Briteiros, 15 km from both Guimarães and Braga.
The excavated site reveals the surviving circular walls of dwellings, as well as the roads and defensive walls of the town. Archeologists believe the entire site was protected by three walls, several turrets and two moats. The houses would have been family compounds with thatched roofs and earthen floors.
The inhabitants would have engaged in agriculture, fishing and animal husbandry as well as producing pottery and woven objects for domestic use.
Visitors tour the area on a raised steel walkway. The grass growing around the structures is kept short by grazing sheep.
The Citânia de Santa Luzia lies in a geographically strategic location, from where it dominated the surrounding area, from the estuary and mouth of the River Lima to the Atlantic coast.
The first excavations in his area were carried out on the initiative of J. Possidonio da Silva (1806-1896), president of the Royal Association of Civil Architects and Portuguese Archeologists in 1876. The Swiss researcher Albano Belino (1863-1906) carried out more extensive work in 1902.
However, it is believed only a third of the total area originally covered by the Citânia has been discovered, since a significant part was lost due to the construction of the Pousada do Monte de Santa Luzia and its access roads.
The Visitors' Center shows a video (in Portuguese) on the history of the site.
A few hundred meters back towards the basilica is the recommended four star Pousada do Monte de Santa Luzia. The original building dates from 1918 and there are superb views from the terraces and rooms at the front of the hotel. This elegant and classy accommodation offers an outdoor swimming pool, tennis court and restaurant.
Citânia de Santa Luzia
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10 am - 1 pm; 2 pm - 6 pm; closed January 1, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, May 1st and December 25th.
Admission: Small fee (presently 2 Euros)
A road leads up to Monte de Santa Luzia or take the funicular to the top of the 650 metre tall hill. The fare is 2 Euros one way or 3 Euros return. A stone staircase also leads to the summit.
