Matrera Castle was built in the 9th century by Omar ibn Hafsún to defend Iptuci, the most advanced city of the Cora de Ronda. However, Mount Pajarete was a place of human settlement since Antiquity.
In the 13th century, it was conquered by San Fernando, who rebuilt it. Nevertheless, at the beginning of the XIV century, it returned to Muslim hands, being definitively reconquered by Alfonso XI in 1341. However, being located in the middle of the Moorish Border or Band was besieged by the Muslims of Granada in 1408 and in 1445.
By 2010, only a few walls of the castle remained standing, and the ruins were further damaged by rain in 2013. A restoration project was launched in 2010 and completed in 2015. Parts of the tower were rebuilt with lime plaster similar to samples found on the site, with large, plain blocks defining the original shape of the castle.
References:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.