CCDR ALGARVE and Municipality of Loulé proposed classification of Salir Castle as a Monument of Public Interest

The Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR) of the Algarve and the Municipality of Loulé proposed to the Cultural Heritage, I.P. the classification of the Castle of Salir as a monument of public interest (MIP).

The objective of the Loulé City Council is to guarantee the public appropriation of the castle and promote its cultural and identity values, as it represents a significant testimony of the medieval Islamic and Christian architectural heritage in the category of defensive architecture.

The CCDR Algarve highlights the cultural and historical value of the Salir Castle, conquered by D. Paio Peres Correia, master of the Order of Santiago, between 1248 and 1249, after the capture of Tavira and other castles of the coast, being the starting point for the conquest of Faro. Since 1987, archaeological investigations led by Professor Helena Catarino have confirmed the importance of the site.

The CCDR Algarve proposed the opening of the procedure for the classification of the castle, in accordance with article 15 of Law no. 107/2001.

The ruins of the castle are located in the western area of Salir, on a limestone head with a height of 256 meters. Of Islamic origin, probably from the 12th century, the castle was part of the fortifications rebuilt in the Almoe era to defend Loulé and protect the rural region.

The conquest of the castle occurred in 1248/49, when the Order of Santiago dominated the region. The location was strategic for D. Paio Peres Correia waiting for the arrival of D. Afonso III, as reported by Frei João de São José.

Archaeological excavations have revealed a dense urban web, with traces of houses and streets from the 12th and 13th centuries, abandoned after the Christian conquest, marked by violent destruction and fires.

In the musealized area, you can see ruins of houses, silos, streets, pipelines and a narrow corridor between the wall and the houses. Although the fortification is very destroyed, sections of the wall and four towers are still visible, some camouflaged by the current house of Salir.

In 2002, the Salir Museological Pole was inaugurated to enhance the ruins and exhibit the collected archaeological materials.