Mértola
Basilica
of Rossio do Carmo
37º38'26.43"N / 7º39'42.02"O
Tuesday to Sunday
Winter (September 14 to June 14): 9.10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. / 2 p.m. to 5.20 p.m.;
Summer (June 15 to September 15) – 9.40 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. / 2.30 to 6.20 p.m.
Closed on Monday and National Holidays: January 1, May 1, Easter Sunday,
December 25, and December 24 (Christmas Eve).
About
Basilica of Rossio do Carmo
Archaeologist Estácio da Veiga discovered and partially excavated this building in 1877. José Leite de Vasconcelos, another archaeologist, also worked here at the beginning of the 20th century. However, work was only resumed in the 1980s and 1990s by Cláudio Torres, director, and founder of the Mértola Archaeological Site, culminating in the musealisation of this space.
It is a basilica used for the Christian cult, founded in the 5th century and operated until the 8th century. It is located near the road connecting Mértola to Beja (Pax Iulia).
The building is organised in three aisles, divided into seven sections, separated by columns. The basilica’s smaller side has a rectangular plan and two opposing apses. In addition to being a sacred space, this building was also used as a burial site in Late Antiquity, as testified by the collection of tombstones and graves found on the site during the several campaigns conducted here. They are exhibited in the museological nucleus.
Plan provided by the Mértola Archaeological Site
Access
Prepare your visit
Free entrance.
Children should always be accompanied by a responsible adult.
IMAGES GALLERY
Mértola Archaeological Site Photographic archive
Support
RESEARCH
Bibliography & useful links
ALARCÃO, Jorge de (1988). Roman Portugal: Gazetteer, Volume II, Fasc. 3 – Évora, Faro & Lagos. Aris & Philips LTD, Warminster, pp. 201-203.
BOIÇA, Joaquim Manuel Ferreira; MATEUS, Rui (2014). Mértola: Roteiro de história urbana e património. Associação de Defesa do Património de Mértola, Mértola, pp. 249-251.
CARDOSO, João Luís (2006). Sebastião Phillipes Martins Estácio da Veiga, José Leite de Vasconcellos e a necrópole do Rossio do Carmo em Mértola, O Arqueólogo Português, Série IV, 24, pp. 151-165. Disponível em: Consultar Artigo Completo → [Consultado a 28/04/2023].
GÓMEZ MARTÍNEZ, Susana, coord. (2014). Museu de Mértola. Catálogo Geral, Campo Arqueológico de Mértola, Mértola, pp. 42-63.
GÓMEZ MARTÍNEZ, Susana (2022). Poblamiento Emiral en el Garb Al-Andalus. In Arqueologia & História, A Península Ibérica entre os séculos V e X – Continuidades, Transição e Mudança, 73, Associação dos Arqueólogos Portugueses, Lisboa, pp. 187-206. Disponível em: Consultar Artigo Completo → [Consultado a 27 de março de 2023].
LOPES, Virgílio (2017). Mértola na Antiguidade Tardia. A Topografia Histórica. In ARNAUD, José Morais; MARTINS, Andrea, Arqueologia em Portugal: 2017 – Estado da Questão, Associação dos Arqueólogos Portugueses, Lisboa, pp. 1379-1390. Disponível em: Consultar Artigo Completo → [Consultado a 28/03/2023].
TORRES, Cláudio; MACIAS, Santiago (1993). Museu de Mértola. Basílica Paleocristã; Campo Arqueológico de Mértola, Mértola.