Adrenal glands

Category: Nature > Reserva natural

District: Lisboa > Sintra > Colares > Viúva

Location

Adrenunes is located in the municipality of Sintra, in the locality of Colares, a few kilometers from Cabo da Roca. It stands on top of an elevated hill, 426 meters above sea level. This privileged position offers a vast perspective of the surrounding landscape, encompassing the area of Cabo da Roca and extending north of the Sintra Mountains.

The environment is predominantly rural, set within the natural beauty of the region, and access to the site, although not complex, reveals paths with traces of ancient paving, underscoring its long history and importance in the territory.

An Enigmatic Structure

Adrenunes is a peculiar rock formation, composed of a set of granite blocks. A narrow passage, about five meters high, opening to the west, stands out. This gallery is covered by massive boulders, which rest horizontally on the side rocks.

The configuration of the stones, although appearing at first glance to be a natural accumulation, reveals subtle indications of human intervention. Some of the rocks have shapes that suggest they were worked, and elements, such as wedges, have been found in the foundations of the blocks, attesting to the hand of man in their arrangement and possible modification.

A Millennial Legacy

This site was, for a long time, associated with the idea of a dolmen, a collective tomb from the megalithic period. Although it is not a construction entirely erected by humans, the presence and work of man are undeniable, which classifies it as a true megalithic monument. Its orientation in relation to the sunset and the moon, as well as to Cabo da Roca, points to a deliberate choice of the site by prehistoric communities, who would have used and adapted this natural formation.

Since 1910, Adrenunes has been recognized as a National Monument, a testament to its historical and cultural relevance. Even today, it attracts visitors, especially during celestial events such as solstices and equinoxes, who seek to experience the ancestral connection between man, nature, and cosmic cycles at this singular point in the landscape.

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