Category: Civil Architecture > Pillory
District: Viana do Castelo > Ponte de Lima > Ponte de Lima > Arca e Ponte de Lima
The Pillory of Ponte de Lima stands in a central location in the village, in the parish of Arca e Ponte de Lima. It is strategically positioned in a landscaped area, immediately in front of the Town Hall. Its presence is notable, with access via a staircase, which gives it a slightly elevated position in relation to the street, allowing visitors a broad perspective of the monument and its urban surroundings, near the left bank of the Lima river.
Pillories, like the one in Ponte de Lima, were once visible markers of municipal jurisdiction and power. They represented the village's authority to administer local justice, functioning as a place where sentences were announced and, sometimes, publicly executed. This monument, though no longer active in these functions, maintains its value as an enduring emblem of the community's autonomy and the region's legal history.
The trajectory of the Pillory of Ponte de Lima is marked by a path of multiple alterations throughout the centuries. Its oldest antecedent, known as "picota", existed within the village walls, next to the old prison. In the 16th century, it was moved to the sandy area outside the walls, where recurrent floods from the Lima river frequently damaged it, leading to successive restoration interventions. In 1818, symbols of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves were added to it. Already in 1857, the pillory was dismantled due to the widening of a walkway, and its pieces ended up being dispersed and reused elsewhere in the village. The monument seen today was built in 1936, in the 20th century, based on the memory of the original, but using new elements, which makes it more a tribute to its history than an exact reconstruction. This pillory is classified as a Property of Public Interest, attesting to its patrimonial relevance.
Built in granite ashlar, the Pillory of Ponte de Lima features a distinctive structure. It rests on a circular base composed of three stepped steps, which serve as a pedestal for a smooth cylindrical shaft. The capital, also cylindrical and elongated, has a chamfered side where the arms of Portugal are located, surmounted by a closed crown. The top of the structure is finished with four volutes supporting an armillary sphere and the Cross of the Order of Christ, elements that enrich its aesthetics and symbolism, inviting careful observation of its details.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 41.767677,-8.583215
Coordinates DMS: 41°46'3.6"N 08°34'59.6"W
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