Heptagonal Tower

The Heptagonal Tower, also known as the Rooster Tower or Clock Tower, is a structure of military architecture, medieval and Manueline, which was part of the extinct castle of Freixo de Freixo de Espada à Cinta, of which only a few sections remain. According to Frei Viterbo, this tower was ordered to be built by King Fernando I around 1376. It is considered a National Monument. Made of granite, faceted and heptagonal, it is the only impressive testimony of the extinct medieval castle, crowned by matacães and topped by beveled merlons, which were once part of the Castelejo's walled circuit. The original Heptagonal Tower is the result of a modification of the original octagonal tower that Duarte d'Armas recorded near the entrance to the castle. It is located in the historic center of the town, imposing and watchful, allowing a full view of the village. Surrounding it, it adds value to the 500-year-old Freixo that gives the town its name, the Mother Church and the Misericórdia Church. It rises to a height of 25 meters and is accessed by steep stairs up to a broken arched doorway. The interior is divided into three floors, with arched vaults, accessed by stairs and illuminated by small gaps in the walls. At the top is a balcony supported by a dog-leg. The ensemble culminates in a quadrangular bell tower with a needle-shaped roof and small bullet-shaped pyramids at the corners. The central façade of the Heptagonal Tower features the town's old coat of arms.