The Portas d’El Rei (King’s Gate), surmounted by the ancient coat of arms, was always the principal entrance, whose guillotine-like door sealed out unwelcome visitors. The walls run intact for over 1km around the medieval core, which is centred on the main square, Largo Padre Francisco Ferreira . The square, in turn, is anchored by an octagonal pelourinho (pillory) dating from 1510. Another important gate, Portas do Prado , serves as the western entrance to the walled town.
Like many northern towns, Trancoso acquired a sizeable Jewish community following the expulsion of Jews from Spain at the end of the 15th century. As elsewhere along the border, you can generally spot Jewish houses by looking for a pair of doors: a smaller one for the private household and a larger one for a shop or warehouse. The old judiaria (Jewish quarter) covered roughly the southeast third of the walled town. Among dignified reminders of that time is a former rabbinical residence called the Casa do Gato Preto , decorated with the gates of Jerusalem and other Jewish images.
About 150m northward is Trancoso’s prettiest church, the 13th-century Capela de Santa Luzia , with heavy Romanesque door arches and unadorned dry-stone construction. Trancoso abounds with other churches heavy with baroque make-up, most prominently the Igreja de São Pedro , behind the pelourinho on Largo Padre Francisco Ferreira.
