Nice work in "azulejos" found in a little church on the way to the Castle for a visit.
In the first half of the 10th century, the location where the city of Guimarăes is implanted today was a rural property – the estate Quintana de Vimaranes. But the death of a man – Count Hermenegildo – and the Christian faith of his widow, Countess
Mumadona, made it so, that in the second half of the 10th century, this rich Countess of
Galician origin decided to build a monastery there – the Mosteiro de Santa Maria – and a
castle. The castle was built with the purpose of protecting the monastery from the frequent raids carried out by Normans from the North of Europe, and by Muslims coming from the warm lands of the South. With the passing of time, the Bourg grew and, at the end of the 11th century, there come to reside here D. Teresa, daughter of Afonso VI of Leon, and her husband, Count D. Henrique, a noble of French origin. Here, according to tradition, was born the eldest of their sons – Afonso Henriques –, who, some years later, in the first half of the 12th century, became the first King of
Portugal.