The Castro Candaz are the remains of a pre-Roman fort and later medieval fortress, located between the mouth of the da Lama river and the Enviande river in the Miño river, in the parish of Pedrafita (Chantada, Lugo). It is currently flooded by the waters of the Belesar reservoir.
According to the noble house of Camba, the Castro Candaz was founded by the Roman consul Lucio Cambero, stationed in Lugo and familiarly linked to "mountain" groups, who would fight together with the Tribe of the Sonora against two Roman legions sent by the emperor Trajan. After the defeat, Lucio Cambero retires to Castro.
According to Formoso Lamas, during the second wave of attacks from the Norman invasions, they overcame Mount Faro and reached Chantada, where a palisade (Plantata) was erected. After razing the city, the Vikings continued advancing and the nobles of the city took refuge in Castro Candaz, guarded by the family of Erice or Eriz, where they received the help of the troops of King Ramiro I of Asturias.
During the Middle Ages, the Castro was possibly linked to some type of port that crossed the Miño through this area.
The fortress was largely destroyed during the Great Irmandiña War. Shortly after it was rebuilt by the Taboada family, who in 1474 wrote a letter to the Bishop of Lugo asking permission to build a hermitage in Candaz Castro, to attend mass without leaving the fortress.
In recent times, the area has been modified to build terraces to plant vine, modifying the architecture of the area.
The fort is located on a promontory surrounded by water everywhere, except the west, with three plains as a natural defense. The large central courtyard is accessed by a ramp, and after it the old castle, with a circular platform at the top, surrounded by concentric circular walls, about 2.10 m high. The foundations of the tower are preserved, although several dependencies in the eastern area are in ruins. At the beginning of the 20th century, two walls of the old castle were preserved, forming a right angle with a width of 1.88 m and 5 m in length.
The walls, ramparts, and rooms are constructed of schists, though there are reused pieces of granite, such as lintels on windows or door bases.
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