Anamnesis del castillo como bien patrimonial. Construcción de la imagen, forma y (re)funcionalización en la rehabilitación de fortificaciones medievales en Portugal

Resum

This dissertation aims to undertake the history of the medieval Portuguese fortifications as cultural heritage, filling a specific gap that exists in this field of research, by stimulating some important epistemic contributions. The investigation was developed according to three main and complementary orientations, covering a chronologic period from the beginning of the 19th century until the Present. Essential conceptual aspects, regarding the medieval fortifications, were thus studied and assimilated. The analysis focused on the etymologic and semantic evolution of some fundamental expressions based in lexicography, castelology, iconography and visual arts, allowing understanding the genesis of a cultural imagery concerning a typical “Portuguese medieval castle”. Theoretical and practical evolution of heritage awareness was also contextualized, focusing on the medieval fortifications and their multiple dimensions (cultural, ideological, symbolical, etc.). The analysis of Portuguese medieval heritage along with other European countries was based on studies about paradigmatic cases, which allowed for demonstrative principles of heritage intervention. Different theoretical and empirical assumptions currently applied to cultural heritage were also analysed, focusing the medieval fortifications. The impact resulting from some examples of recent architectural interventions of rehabilitation and functional adaptation, as well as from the increase of the patrimonial concerns related to urban and intangible perspectives were also evaluated. The reasoning achieved with this dissertation allowed for the development of conclusions related to the initial proposed aims, providing a theoretical problematization of interventions made in architectural heritage.