The medieval fortress of Naraío

O Castelo de Naraío is a medieval castle located at the foot of the río Castro, in the parish of Santa María de Naraío (San Sadurniño). After being abandoned in the 17th century, it became part of the surrounding habitat, arriving at our days as a romantic and flowery ruin by the river. It was declared a Ben de Interese Cultural in 1994.

The fortress belonged to Gonzalo Piñeiro, a Galician nobleman who took Pedro I O Cruel's side in the civil war against Henrique II de Trastámara. When his lord was defeated, the Trastámara forces pursued the Piñeiro until they defeated the last of them in Anca. Henrique granted the lands and the castle to the Andrade as payment for their help during the conflict. According to Comerma y Batalla, the castle returned to its original owners in 1527.

The castle was abandoned in the 17th century and its study began at the start of the 20th century with a small book about three castles near Ferrol, which included a plan of the castle and its surroundings. At the beginning of 2007, a team led by the Lugo archaeologist Anxo Felpeto began a project of investigation and rehabilitation of the castle.

A stone and wood staircase allows access to what remains of the fortification, the tower of homage, and the walls of the courtyard of arms. The main entrance is an arched doorway where the old door and the drawbridge were located. The tower of homage is structured in four floors with a vaulted roof. The access door is nine meters higher than the main door. Another small door opens on the lower floor. On its south side opens a small barred window with a mullion supporting two semi-circular arches. A final opening can be seen in the tower, which is a latrine supported by corbels.

The castle is property of the Casa de Alba, which lent it for 30 years to the Xunta de Galicia.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons