A castle made of stone and lime, fruit of the dreams and the dreams and the ideal of Zé do Monte is the big attraction at the top of the Serra dos Tapuios, where the hills mark the end of the desert (sertăo).

Suddenly, you see a castle built on top of a hill next to a road which cuts thru the lands of the municipality of Sítio Novo, in a poor region, within the limits of the hills and the desert (sertăo) of Rio Grande do Norte. Given the surprise, you tend to look again, to make sure you are not dreaming. And there it is, on top of the Serra dos Tapuios, almost 400 meters above sea level, recalling, by far, the old castles of the mountains of Europe.

In contrast to the simplicity of the houses in the city of Sítio Novo, one might even think it is the result of an act of megalomania and eccentricity of a regional farmer, to demonstrate his power. Or who knows, even an European noble that decided to come live in the potiguar desert and, to kill the homesickness of his homeland, decided to build a castle as they had in their homeland.

But none of that happened. The castle is a dream, a wonderful dream of a simple man of Spartan habits called José Antônio Barreto, or Zé do Monte. With its gentle speech, gestures and the air of a Buddhist monk, Zé of Mount explains that all his work is the result of the appearance of Nossa Senhora, which instructed him with the mission to build 13 castles.

Certainly, the castle is puzzling. The grandeur and the suntuosidade that one would imagine there is replaced by a rustic building, the base of stone, cement, brick and lime. Unlike the Europeans castles, there are no marble floors, bathrooms with gold fixtures, furnished with fine furniture and works or rooms with porcelain vases or shields of illustrious families. In the castle of Serra dos Tapuios, what's more valuable is the desire to fulfill a promise. Inside there are no large halls, bedrooms, kitchens, gardens and even bathrooms.

There are so many labyrinths, narrow, up and down, with unfinished walls, without lighting, with few doors and windows, which let in light from the sun and, always end in small 'sacadas' . And it is these 'sacadas' with their views, which is the richness of the castle: the beautiful panoramas they offer. From there you see the mountains and the desert lands, which extend to the abyss below.

When the youth José Antônio, in the decade of the 40's, visited the city of Pedro Avelino, in the interior of Rio Grande do Norte, an apparition of Our Lady (Nossa Senhora), and the mission to fulfill a promise, changed his life. According to his report, the image of the saint emerged as carved in the rock and talked some time with him on the fate of building castles and the material and spiritual resources, which would guarantee the work.

Zé do Monte was not discouraged because of not having money, not having the slightest idea of engineering or architecture or even to have erected a wall throughout his life. After the appearance, he took a few years to put in practice the mission. In the'60s he decided that the time had arrived and began to reform his home in a street in the neighborhood of Quintas, in Natal. The house is a mini castle, with many tiles, towers, windows and doors, ameias and all protected by bars. Zé do Moute says it was well finished, beautiful and 'mimosinha'. Other castles were emerging, but he did not forget the project of a high rock, which had a view - to house the image of the saint - and if possible in a mountain range.

Discovering the mountains of the Tapuios (Serra dos Tapuias), he sought the owner of the land and after starting the business, there was a coincidence. The sale could only be made to a religious man who would promise to preserve the image of Our Lady of Lourdes (Nossa Senhora de Lourdes), which existed there. And another promise was made. In an area of 13 hectares, the castle began to be built and what draws the most attention to the external aspect is the 83 towers, arising from many different places, without any following aesthetics. On the inside, what is impressing is on your entry, is the main sanctuary and its altars, which resembles a church. Next to the sanctuary is the image of Our Lady of Lourdes.

If you are interested in visiting the Castle and the Sierra of Tapuios, one day is more than necessary. Also, if you are thinking of staying longer, it is good to know that the region is poor, has no infrastructure to receive tourists. Hotels and pensions, do not even think about. Restaurants, ditto. For anyone thirsty and feel hunger, an option are the bars and a snack in Sítio Novo or the community of Serra dos Tapuios.

There are two ways to get there. In a private car, with full tank, carry with you a structure of support for a day, from the mineral water, first aid material, to snacks and fruit. Access is done by the highway BR - 226 to the end of the city of Tangará, taking the asphalted state road to Sítio Novo, traveling some 110 kilometers on asphalt. Then following, on the dirt road, for 10 km to Serra dos Tapuias and ask how to get to the Castle. And pray that Zé do Monte is not "moonstruck" and will not let you enter