Roman archaeological station of São Lourenço

Category: Archaeology > Villa

District: Castelo Branco > Idanha-a-Nova > Monsanto

Location:

The station is located 2.5 km northwest of Monsanto and 4 km west of Medelim, on a plain at an altitude of about 445 m.

The Boieiros Stream and the Monsantela Stream flow nearby, offering a serene environment amidst fields of low-lying vegetation.

Historical Value:

This site corresponds to a Roman villa from the Conventus Emeritensis, in use between the 1st and 4th centuries AD, where artifacts such as a 1st-century bulla were collected.

Records indicate vestiges identified as early as 1758, and excavations begun in 1960, which also revealed granite and marble tombs.

Architectural Features:

Notable is the private bathhouse with two tanks lined with opus signinum: one circular with steps and another rectangular with multiple access points.

Granite and lead piping were detected, and a Roman dam 500 m away which, via a small aqueduct, supplied the baths.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt