This Castle is one of those featured in the flag of Portugal and was conquered from the Moors by D. Palo Peres Correia in 1248 and deactivated in 1858.

Ranked of Public Interest since 1971, the Castle is the subject of study by IPPAR – Portuguese Institute of Architectural Heritage and Archaeological, with a view to their recoverability and classification of areas surrounding the Ribeira de Quarteira as Protected Landscape Area. This study includes the identification of various nuclei of archaeological and ethnographic as well as the characterization of the existing fauna and flora.

Despite successive restorations its condition has degradeted and in our days only has a few sections of wall by the entrance tower and the main walls of the hermitage.

In the beginning of the 16th century with the transfer of the town inside the walls to the north it becomes clear  his state of semi-abandonment and later with the 1755 earthquake suffers partial collapse of walls and tower.