It is located in Monte de Santa Luzia, in the parish of Santa Maria Maior, in the city, municipality and district of Viana do Castelo, Northern Portugal
Citânia strategically imposes itself on the landscape due to its prominent location, and the town's area corresponds to around a third of its true size.
The Citânia de Santa Luzia is delimited by three lines of walls complemented by turrets and two moats.
The distribution of structures allows us to assess different periods of occupation and can frame the restructuring of the space between the 19th and 20th centuries. I BC and the 20th century. I AD
Citânia de Santa Luzia is known as “Cidade Velha de Santa Luzia”, and the record of the existence of these ruins dates back to the 17th century.
In 1876, the first excavations were carried out in the area on the initiative of J. Possidónio N. da Silva (1806-1896), president of the Royal Association of Civil Architects and Portuguese Archeologists, but most of the structures currently visible are due to the intervention of Braga researcher Albano Belino carried out in 1902.
Only a third of the total area originally covered by Citânia remains uncovered, as a significant part was lost following the construction of the Hotel de Santa Luzia and its access roads.
The Citânia de Santa Luzia presents a distinctly defensive concern, hence the presence of three lines of walls served by a patrol path and reinforced by strong turrets with two moats, the top of which was accessed through a staircase still visible on the inner side of the wall.
Citânia de Santa Luzia is a notable example of the fortified settlements existing in the Northwest Peninsular, both due to its size and urban planning, construction typology and defensive character.
The castrejo town located at the crown of Monte de Santa Luzia, in a geographically strategic location from which the entire surrounding area is dominated, from the estuary and mouth of the Lima River to the Atlantic coastal area, shows continuous occupation between the Iron Age and Romanization periods.
The town was characterized by housing structures in blocks separated by walls and well-defined circulation areas. The houses have a circular, elliptical plan, and less frequently rectangular ones with or without a vestibule.
The entrances to these houses are mostly oriented in a Southwest-Southeast direction, coinciding with the general slope of the land where the village is located in order to protect the homes from rainwater and northerly winds.
In the interior aspect of the houses, in addition to the unavoidable fireplace, it is clear that the floor is made up of the natural soil itself, sometimes using rocks on the ridge, and less frequently the construction of an interior floor composed of clayey earth or gravel.
The Citânia de Santa Luzia presents a distinctly defensive concern, hence the presence of three lines of walls served by a patrol path, and reinforced by strong turrets with two moats, the top of which was accessed through a staircase still visible on the inner side of the wall.
The choice of this place for such a long-lasting occupation is explained by the fact that it is an area particularly favorable to the practice of agricultural activities, collection and the use of the various river and sea resources leading to daily activities and very specific eating habits such as: the manufacture of working utensils, including ceramics, metallurgy and weaving.
The Citânia de Santa Luzia is delimited by three lines of walls complemented by turrets and two moats.
The distribution of structures allows us to assess different periods of occupation and can frame the restructuring of the space between the 19th and 20th centuries. I BC and the 20th century. I AD
Citânia de Santa Luzia is known as “Cidade Velha de Santa Luzia”, and the record of the existence of these ruins dates back to the 17th century.
In 1876, the first excavations were carried out in the area on the initiative of J. Possidónio N. da Silva (1806-1896), president of the Royal Association of Civil Architects and Portuguese Archeologists, but most of the structures currently visible are due to the intervention of Braga researcher Albano Belino carried out in 1902.
Only a third of the total area originally covered by Citânia remains uncovered, as a significant part was lost following the construction of the Hotel de Santa Luzia and its access roads.
The Citânia de Santa Luzia presents a distinctly defensive concern, hence the presence of three lines of walls served by a patrol path and reinforced by strong turrets with two moats, the top of which was accessed through a staircase still visible on the inner side of the wall.
Citânia de Santa Luzia is a notable example of the fortified settlements existing in the Northwest Peninsular, both due to its size and urban planning, construction typology and defensive character.
The castrejo town located at the crown of Monte de Santa Luzia, in a geographically strategic location from which the entire surrounding area is dominated, from the estuary and mouth of the Lima River to the Atlantic coastal area, shows continuous occupation between the Iron Age and Romanization periods.
The town was characterized by housing structures in blocks separated by walls and well-defined circulation areas. The houses have a circular, elliptical plan, and less frequently rectangular ones with or without a vestibule.
The entrances to these houses are mostly oriented in a Southwest-Southeast direction, coinciding with the general slope of the land where the village is located in order to protect the homes from rainwater and northerly winds.
In the interior aspect of the houses, in addition to the unavoidable fireplace, it is clear that the floor is made up of the natural soil itself, sometimes using rocks on the ridge, and less frequently the construction of an interior floor composed of clayey earth or gravel.
The Citânia de Santa Luzia presents a distinctly defensive concern, hence the presence of three lines of walls served by a patrol path, and reinforced by strong turrets with two moats, the top of which was accessed through a staircase still visible on the inner side of the wall.
The choice of this place for such a long-lasting occupation is explained by the fact that it is an area particularly favorable to the practice of agricultural activities, collection and the use of the various river and sea resources leading to daily activities and very specific eating habits such as: the manufacture of working utensils, including ceramics, metallurgy and weaving.
