Basilica

The basilica is located between the two Baptisteries of the Religious Complex, near the entrance of Mértola’s Old Cemetery. It has a rectangular plan and a semicircular apse to the West.

In March 1877, archaeologist Estácio da Veiga (born in Tavira) excavated this space and identified a currently lost mosaic representing a turtle or a tortoise. In 2022, an excavation campaign revealed a mosaic floor with a rich and complex geometrical decoration with several circular medallions featuring different types of birds. 

Like the other buildings in the Religious Complex, the basilica was built in the 5th-6th century and finally abandoned in the late 11th century or the early 12th century.