It dominates the Cervantes River or Cancelada, in the Doiras river mouth, and it is the most characteristic and famous monument in Ancares Mountains. It is in Vilaspasantes parish, in Cervantes council. It is know as “Ponte de Doiras”, “Ferreira” or “de la Ferrería”, maybe because it is near Fonquente forge. It is 700 metres of altitude.
“It is 700 metres of altitude, in the Doiras river mouth, and it is the most characteristic and famous monument in Ancares Mountains”
It is distinguished far away and it wakes up the attention and memories, the history and the legend.
It is very difficult to go into, unless in the south part where are a path. It is on the hard rock that made into the most impressive fortress of Galicia. Its entry door opens at four metres of high; it was impossible gain access without a ladder or inside help.
t is 15th century. Its base is rectangular (25 x 21 metres), and its walls have 8 metres of height and 1.5 metres of width. The height is different because the inclination of the field. The keep tower has 14 metres of high and it has rectangular floor (10 x 8 metres) with the walls of 2 metres width.
It belonged to Graxal de Campos Count, Lord of Cervantes, title of Sesto Duke until 1909.
Gil Ramil, Julio. "Os Ancares, Fuerza Vital", Everest (1994)
THE LADY DEERIt exists a legend in this castle:
In Doiras castle lived a knight called Froiaz, with two children: Egas and Aldara.
Another son from a neighbour castle fell in love with Aldara. The love was requited and, with parent agreement, the marriage was announced.
One afternoon Aldara disappeared. The father and brother, servants and squires, and her lover with his people, went to the forest and mountains, hamlets, …to look for her. Few days later the search ended and people imagined her killed by a bear, a wild boar or a wolf…
One day Egas, in hunting, saw a beautiful white doe. With only one shot, he killed the animal, but he couldn't take it to the castle because the animal weight and the snow. To prove his exploit he took the front leg.
He went to his father to tell him his great feat. Egas got a hand from the bag, a soft, white and fine hand from a noblewoman. They could see a beautiful gold ring with a red precious stone, was the Aldara´s ring…Very sad, they ran uphill; they found the dead body of Aldara without one hand.
As the legend said, some moor could bewitch her in doe body, and the death returned her body to the original of a lady. They never could know the reasonCon ánimo dorido correron monte arriba, cara o lugar onde Egas dera morte á cerva. Alí atoparon, deitado no chan, o cadáver de Aldara, á quen lle faltaba unha man…Segundo o que di a lenda, algún mouro debeu encantala en figura de cerva, e a morte encargouse de volvela ó seu estado natural de doncela. Pero endexamais puido saberse a razón.
