São Cucufate
São Cucufate is the ruin of a Roman villa rustica . The excavation site is located in Vidigueira between Évora and Beja , in the Baixo Alentejo sub-region . The museum and the archaeological site give the visitor an insight into Roman rural life in Portugal 2000 years ago.
history
The settlement of São Cucufate was continuously expanded over a period of approx. 500 years and consisted in the final stage of a monastery with a main house, baths, a chapel and farm buildings such as stables, granaries, etc. From the large terrace on the hill one could ( and you can still) overlook the surroundings. The nearby stream was diverted to the artificial swimming pool. A noble Roman family resided here very luxuriously. The Roman building structure, consisting of burned bricks and large arches, is still well preserved in some parts.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the buildings were settled by monks who opened a monastery, which was abandoned after the Middle Ages . So the whole building fell into disrepair. Some frescoes from this period are still preserved today.
Archaeological digs
In the 1980s, further structures were excavated and, with the support of the Vidigueira district, reconstructed to form the entire complex of the museum. The French scientist and historian Robert Étienne was a leader in the excavation work and the reconstruction of the Roman buildings of São Cucufate and Conimbriga from 1962 to 1988 .
See also
literature
- Robert Étienne, J. Alarcão, F. Mayet: Les villas romaines de São Cucufate . 1990.
- Thomas G. Schattner (Ed.): Archaeological guide through Portugal (= cultural history of the ancient world . Vol. 74). Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 1998, ISBN 3-8053-2313-1 p. 180
Web links
Coordinates: 38 ° 13 '25 " N , 7 ° 50' 43" W.