History:
Set on the highest place of the old fortified area of Valença, near the Spanish border, this Pousada enjoys a magnificent view over Spain, over the peaceful river Minho and the ancient village walls. Its cuisine delicacies are among the best of the Minho regional traditions.
The fortress is a piece of Gothic and Baroque Military Architecture. The first walls were built in the 13th century (1200). Nowadays it is a kind of bulwarked system, Vauban type, built in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Placed on the top of two small hills, it is formed by two polygons: the Magistral Square and the Coroa or Coroada (Hormeveque style) separated by a ditch that protects the four Doors (Coroada, Gaviarra, Fonte da Vila and Sol).
It is a bulwarked system composed by ten towers and two half towers in Coroada, 3 towers in the South (Santana, S.Jerónimo, Santa Bárbara) and two half towers in the North (S. José and Santo António) where we can see embrasures and watch-turrets faceted in the corners.
In the Magistral Square, there are 7 towers (Lapa, da Esperança, Nossa Senhora do Faro, S.Francisco, Senhora do Socorro, Senhora do Carmo and S.João). The two enclosed spaces are separated by these doors called Portas do Meio and a fixed bridge.