Category: Civil Architecture > Pillory
District: Viana do Castelo > Ponte de Lima > Bertiandos
Located in the village of Bertiandos, in the municipality of Ponte de Lima, the Pillory stands in a predominantly rural and tranquil setting. It rises in the verdant courtyard of Solar de Bertiandos, facing the imposing manor house. The site is delimited by boxwood, which provides a natural frame for the monument. Nearby, and across the road, the landscape is enriched by the presence of the Lima River, which emphasizes the serenity of the surrounding environment.
The history of this pillory begins long before its judicial function. Its main structure is an ancient Roman milestone, originally part of the vast network of roads that the Romans built on the Iberian Peninsula. This monolith, dated to the 3rd century AD, between 235 and 238 AD, marked the distance along the important Roman Road connecting the cities of Braga, Tui, and Lugo. It was discovered buried in Campo de Santo Amaro, in the parish of Feitosa, in 1641 and subsequently transported to Solar de Bertiandos. The milestone bears a Latin inscription, a direct testament to the imperial era, referring to emperors Maximinus and Maximus and the restoration of roads and bridges.
In the 18th century, more precisely in 1795, this ancient Roman milestone gained new life and meaning. With Bertiandos briefly constituted as a municipality, the piece was adapted to serve as a pillory, the symbol of municipal authority and justice. Initially, it was erected next to the prison, near the river, a strategic location for the exercise of jurisdiction. For this new function, the monolith was embellished with a unique finial, which includes a set of superimposed cones, culminating in a conical pinecone. It is known that, during the lordship of António Pereira Pinto de Eça, its letters were even gilded. After the extinction of the municipality in 1835, the pillory was relocated to the gardens of the Solar, returning to its original setting, where it remains today.
The Bertiandos Pillory is a remarkable piece of granite stonework, reflecting the robustness of the region's materials. Its base is a low, single-step quadrangular plinth, upon which the monolithic column of the ancient milestone rises. This column features a circular section that widens slightly at the top and retains its original inscription. The most distinctive element is undoubtedly its finial: a unique conical pinecone, with its characteristic shape crowning the ensemble. Its historical and architectural importance is recognized by its classification as a National Monument, an enduring testament to the passage of time and the different eras that shaped this place.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 41.760061,-8.625643
Coordinates DMS: 41°45'36.2"N 08°37'32.3"W
Weather Bertiandos
On-duty Pharmacy Bertiandos
