Roman Baths of Évora

Category: Archaeology > Thermal Baths

District: Évora > Évora > Évora > Centro Histórico

Location

The Roman Baths of Évora are located in the heart of the city's Historic Centre, a World Heritage site. They are integrated into the Municipal Council building, in Praça do Sertório, a central and easily accessible point for those exploring Évora's historic streets and squares.

Its intramural position, on the site where the seat of municipal power is now located, demonstrates the strategic and cultural importance that this space already held in the ancient Roman city of Liberalitas Julia Ebora.

A Legacy of Ancient Rome

Dating from the 2nd and 3rd centuries, the Roman Baths of Évora are a remarkable testament to daily life and Roman engineering. They probably represented the largest public building in Roman Évora and played a central role in the community.

Beyond their hygiene function, the baths were places for meeting and socializing. Roman citizens frequented them to converse, mingle, and sometimes conduct business, making them vibrant centers of social interaction.

Roman Architecture and Engineering

With an area of approximately 300 square meters, the Roman Baths of Évora complex reveals the complexity of Roman architecture applied to public baths. Visitors can observe several fundamental sections, designed to provide different temperatures and experiences.

Notable among these is the Laconicum, a circular room for hot and steam baths, clad in marble, with a remarkable ribbed and star-shaped vault. In the center of this room, a large circular tank with three steps is associated with an underground heating system, the hypocaustum. This heat was generated in the Praefurnium, a space with a furnace where wood was burned to heat the air and water circulating beneath the floors of the rooms. There was also a Natatio, an outdoor pool, which is not visible to the public today.

The Évora Discovery

The remains of these baths remained hidden for centuries, only to be discovered at the end of 1987, during archaeological excavations carried out in the oldest part of the current Municipal Council building. This discovery underscores Évora's profound Roman heritage, where the past frequently emerges beneath the layers of the present, enriching the understanding of its long history.

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