"History
Background
The fortification of Valencia, on the left bank of the Miño river , on the Portuguese border with Spain
through Galicia, dates from the 12th century to the 13th century . It was intended for the defense of the population and the crossing of that section of the river.
The War of Restoration and the construction of the Plaza-Fort
In the context of the Portuguese Restoration War , this border fortification was entirely reformed with a project by the French Miguel de l'Ècole . In this way, the walls were rebuilt to encircle the extended perimeter of the town, and new bastioned structures were erected, among which:
the so-called Coroada , with three bastions ( Santa Ana , San Jerónimo , and Santa Bárbara ) and two half-bastions ( San José and San Antonio );
new trenches opened ;
ravelins for the defense of some curtains
seven new strongholds: Carmo , Esperanza , Faro , Lapa , San Francisco , San Juan and Socorro . 2
With the first works already underway, it resisted a Spanish incursion at the beginning of the Restoration War (1643). Still under construction, it fell into Spanish hands in 1654, to be immediately reconquered by Portuguese troops under the command of the Count of Castelo Melhor. The works continued in 1661, to be concluded in 1713, when its last architect, Manuel Pinto de Vilalobos , declared it finished. At the end of the 18th century, the walls of the Paiol de la Pólvora were reinforced and the Paiol do Açougue (1774) was built.
From the 19th century to the present day
During the Peninsular War , after local resistance, it fell to Napoleonic troops under the command of Soult (1809), who blew up the Porta do Sol .
During the Liberal Wars , he joined the liberal party in 1828, during Belfastada, being besieged by royalist forces, finally surrendering at the end of nine days. It was reconquered by the liberals in 1830 with the reinforcement of the English admiral Charles Napier.
Considered the most important fortification in Alto Minho , the object of various conservation and restoration interventions throughout the 20th century , the structures that have come down to us are in a good state of conservation, open to public visits.
Features
With the reconstruction of the defenses that transformed Valencia into a Plaza-Fort, the population was separated from the river by a network of bastions and by means of moats and lower passages.
Planmetrically, sheltered by an intricate set of bastions, ravelins and moats, in two large areas that were connected by the so-called Porta do Meio (Middle Gate): the North sector, which includes the old town, and the South sector, a smaller and more open area: the so-called Coroada (Crownada)."
(
visit link)