Category: Civil Architecture > Pillory
District: Bragança > Bragança > Sanceriz
The Pillory of Sanceriz stands in Largo do Pelourinho (Pillory Square), in the center of the village of Sanceriz, within the parish of Macedo do Mato, municipality of Bragança. Surrounded by traditional pavement, it occupies a prominent position in the small square next to granite and schist houses.
This central location gives it visibility from the paths connecting Sanceriz to neighboring villages, allowing its silhouette to be appreciated against the sky and the hills that define the Tuela river valley.
Commissioned between the charters of D. Dinis (1285) and D. Manuel I (c. 1510), the pillory symbolizes the administrative autonomy Sanceriz achieved in the Middle Ages. Its presence recalls the status of a «council seat village» that the locality held for centuries.
Classified as a Property of Public Interest since 1933, it preserves its role as a living testament to municipal power structures and the consolidation of Portuguese borders during the reign of D. Dinis.
Resting on a quadrangular platform with two steps, the monument features a similarly stepped plinth, upon which rests the octagonal base of the column, approximately 80 cm high. The shaft, with a smooth surface, is visually divided into two-thirds and culminates in a pyramidal trunk decorated with four rosettes on each face.
Built from granite and schist, materials abundant in the region, it shows marks of time and occasional interventions from the 1930s, but retains the robustness and simplicity typical of medieval pillories in northeast Trás-os-Montes.
The granite, aged by time, creates textures and color nuances that stand out against the blue sky. The calm surroundings, free from intense traffic, invite a pause to observe details such as the shaft's fissures and the irregular base.
Thanks to its elegant form and the contrast with the paving stones, the pillory offers a natural photographic setting, where daylight enhances its archaic lines and the solidity of the whole.
Sources: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelourinho_de_Sanceriz
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 41.5867124046532,-6.758071583769563
Coordinates DMS: 41°35'12.2"N 06°45'29.1"W
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