Quinta da Regaleira
The Regaleira Estate includes a palace and chapel, grottoes, tunnels, towers, a ziggurat, elaborate fountains, and an initiatic well.
Alto da Vigia
Elyn Aviva
Alto da Vigia is the site of a monumental Roman sanctuary from the 2nd–3rd centuries CE.
“I stood near the edge of the cliff, the Atlantic Ocean surging below. To my left, the mist-shrouded slopes of the Mountain of the Moon. To my right, the Colares river flowing into the sea. Before me, the remains of an important Roman temple dedicated to the Sun, the Ocean and the Moon. Millennia ago, this sacred spot marked the western edge of the Roman Empire. Now it is an archaeological dig, its layered secrets—including a medieval Islamic religious building—slowly being revealed.” —Elyn
Alto da Vigia is the site of a monumental Roman sanctuary from the 2nd–3rd centuries CE. It was dedicated to the Sun, Moon, and Ocean, and to the Imperial cult. It included a temenos (a sacred precinct), columns, an altar, and various votive inscriptions on stones. The nature of the inscriptions, expressing health to the Emperor and long life to the Empire, indicates that the sanctuary was of significant importance for the Imperial class, not just for private individuals. For example, Sextus Tigidius Perennis, governor of Lusitania, dedicated an inscription to Soli et Lunae (Sun and Moon) in 185 CE, and Junius Celanius, another governor, dedicated one between 200 and 209 to Soli aeterno Lunae (Eternal Sun and Moon).
Keep on reading
Archaeology Museum of Saint Michael of Odrinhas
The Archaeology Museum of San Miguel de Odrinhas (MASMO) explores the history of the region for over 2,000 years, beginning with the 1st century BCE.
