Torres de Mens, Medieval castle in Malpica de Bergantiños, Spain.
Torres de Mens is a castle in the village of Mens, Malpica de Bergantiños, made up of a dwelling and three square-plan towers that have lost their battlements, enclosed by a circular walled precinct. The main volume has an L-shaped plan, topped by a turret turned from the building's axis. At one corner of the top floor, resting on stone corbels, a wooden balcony projects; the entrance is through a Gothic arch in one of the towers.
Lope Sánchez de Moscoso built the castle in the 15th century, after the Irmandiño revolts, on the site of an earlier fortress that in turn stood on an ancient castro. In the 20th century Pedro Abelenda y Díaz de Andrade acquired it; his descendant Agustín Ordóñez carried out the last restoration, converting it into a dwelling. It has been a listed monument since 1994 and received a Europa Nostra award in 1993.
The towers are known locally for a legend: a tunnel once linked them to the church of Santiago de Mens and Seiruga beach, and a count who held a village girl prisoner fled through it until villagers set fire to its three mouths. People also say maize and wheat sown near the tunnel ripens earlier.
The castle is a private residence and not open for visits; it is seen from the lane through the village of Mens, in the parish of the same name. The three square towers and the circular walled enclosure are best viewed from outside the perimeter. The last restoration, by the current owner Agustín Ordóñez, converted the complex into a dwelling.
Local folklore speaks of underground tunnels allegedly connecting the castle to Santiago de Mens Church and the Furna Travesa cave on Ceiruga beach. These hidden passages remain part of regional stories passed down through generations.
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