Category: Civil Architecture > Museum
District: Faro > Vila Real de Santo António > Vila Nova de Cacela > Santa Rita
The Megalithic Tomb of Santa Rita is located in the rural area of Santa Rita, belonging to the locality of Vila Nova de Cacela, in the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António. The monument is situated halfway up a hillside, in a serene and isolated environment, surrounded by agricultural land. This natural setting offers a tranquil backdrop and invites a calm exploration, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the Algarve landscape and the deep history of the site.
This remarkable prehistoric monument is considered one of the most important megalithic constructions in the Algarve, notable for its excellent state of preservation. It consists of an amphora, or collective tomb, composed of a rectangular burial chamber and an access corridor. The corridor, about five meters long, leads to the chamber which measures approximately five meters in length by 2.2 meters in width, still preserving some of its capstones.
The tomb's entrance, oriented to the east, was designed with particular aesthetic care, evidenced by a frame of limestone pieces that distinguishes it. Originally, the burial chamber was covered by a tumulus, an artificial mound of earth and stones, of which traces still remain, delimited by a ring of stone slabs vertically embedded in the ground.
With a probable dating to around 2500 BC, this tomb served as a collective burial site during the Chalcolithic period. Archaeological excavations revealed its use as an ossuary, with the discovery of human bones corresponding to more than two dozen individuals. These depositions were accompanied by a complex funerary ritual, including the placement of various offerings alongside the mortal remains, such as small ceramic vessels, flint blades, arrowheads, halberds, engraved schist plaques, necklace beads, and red pigment nodules.
The importance of the Megalithic Tomb of Santa Rita extends beyond its architecture, as the findings and studies allow for an understanding of the cultural and social aspects of the communities that built and used it. The site maintained its relevance over millennia, with evidence of a more recent necropolis built over the tumulus, and even traces of Roman frequentation in the vicinity, underscoring its continuous sacralization and use as a historical and cultural landmark to this day.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 37.1798454,-7.5658154
Coordinates DMS: 37°10'47.4"N 07°33'56.9"W
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