Early Christian Church of Mosteiros Site (ruins)

Category: Religious Architecture > Church

District: Évora > Portel > Montinho > Sítio dos Mosteiros

Location:

The ruins of the Paleo-Christian Church of Sítio dos Mosteiros are located in the area that gives them their name, Sítio dos Mosteiros, belonging to the locality of Montinho, in the municipality of Portel. This archaeological complex is situated on the right bank of the Ribeira de Oriola, in an area that was partially influenced by the creation of the Alvito Dam, resulting in the submersion of a portion of the original complex, which gives the site a particular scenic dimension.

A Millennia-Old Legacy:

This archaeological site, comprising an ancient monastery and its burial area, stands out as one of the most significant testimonies of early Christianity in the southern region of Portugal. The site has a history of occupation spanning various periods, from the Roman era, through the Visigothic, up to the Middle Ages. This superposition of historical presences reveals a continuous importance and use of the space over centuries.

Vestiges of an Ancestral Basilica:

The main structure of the complex corresponds to a cruciform-plan basilica. It is possible to identify a single nave culminating in a semicircular apse in its internal part, as well as a transept with rectangular arms. On the southern side of the transept, vestiges of two mausoleums were discovered, each with separate access points to the interior of the basilica and to the exterior. The entire complex, at its greatest extent, reaches approximately nineteen meters in length and thirteen meters in width.

Archaeology and Discoveries:

The various archaeological excavation campaigns carried out at the site, which began in the 1970s, allowed for the recovery of a varied collection of artifacts. Among the most significant finds are fragments of common pottery, parts of dolia (large storage vessels), glass pieces that would have belonged to cups or bowls, marble fragments, and iron nails. More recent works, which took place in the 1990s, brought to light new parts of the building, such as a narthex, crucial elements for the understanding and reconstruction of the original plan of this unique ancestral complex.

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