Castle of the Moors, Sintra

The Castle of the Moors occupies a rocky promontory in the Sintra Mountains, with steep slopes up to 40 percent gradient. Its irregular layout follows a 450-metre perimeter oriented from southwest to northwest. The fortress consists of two lines of defensive walls that contour the granite and other igneous rock formations beneath.

The outer walls include a main gate near Abelheira, west of the Tapada dos Bichos area. Inside the second ring of walls are circular and square turrets, thick battlements, railings, and pyramid-shaped merlons—these are the solid upright sections atop the walls used for defense. The main entrance is guarded by two turrets and battlements.

Within the secondary walls near the entrance lie ruins of former buildings such as cellars and animal pens. A large subterranean cistern measures 18 metres long, 6 metres wide, and 6 metres high. It was accessed through a narrow passage and collected rainwater through openings in its roof.

The inner walls feature five rectangular towers and one circular tower, all topped with pyramidal merlons. The tallest tower, called the royal tower, stands in the southwest corner. A small door on the northern side, often hidden by vegetation, is known as the Traitors Gate and leads to the main military square inside the castle.

Along the castle perimeter are several bins or silos dating from the Arab occupation, many now overgrown. The chapel lies outside the secondary wall near the entrance. It has a rectangular nave and a lower, narrow presbytery, built from limestone and masonry. Access is possible from the western and southern façades.

The southern wall of the chapel features an arched doorway supported by columns with decorative capitals carved with plant motifs and fantastic animals like gryphons and basilisks. The northern façade has a primitive door elevated above ground level due to the terrain, along with a triumphal arch supported by double columns with carved capitals showing plant designs.

Inside, the chapel’s main nave has a cradle vault ceiling with traces of frescoes. These depict a haloed patron saint surrounded by floral and geometric patterns framed by a geometric border. Adjacent to the oratory is a small rectangular niche used to hold religious items.

Although tradition suggests the chapel may have served as a mosque before the Christian Reconquista, no direct evidence confirms this. However, it is likely that a Muslim place of worship existed elsewhere within the castle during Moorish occupation.