Miguel de Arruda

Miguel de Arruda (fl.|1532 both famed Portuguese architects.

Towards the end of the first third of the 16th century Miguel de Arruda was directing the works to expand the existing convent of the Order of Saint Augustine at Évora; by 1540 the new church, the Church of Nossa Senhora da Graça, was already being used as a place of worship.

In 1532 he took over from João de Castilho as mestre de obras at Alcobaça Monastery. Around that time, Arruda built the main entrance to the Convent of Christ (Tomar) following the design by Castilho. Indeed, Arruda has been considered as representing the "transition from the earlier design mindset of Benedetto da Ravenna's generation to that of the later sixteenth century", and in the case of the Royal Walls at Ceuta, Arruda made key alterations to Da Ravenna's initial 1541 design, especially to the bastions on the western front.

In August 1545 Castro wrote to the King from the Island of Mozambique advocating the construction of a new fortress there, capable of withstanding the threat of Turkish artillery. The King replied the following year, informing him that he had entrusted the project to Arruda.

In 1548/49, the King appointed Arruda to the newly created post of "Master of the Works on the Walls and Fortifications of the Kingdom, Places in Além (Africa) and India" The construction of the building itself, which commenced in 1517, is attributed to his father, Francisco de Arruda.