October 2022 : Day trip to Loulé (Islamic baths and Igreja Matriz) and the Roman site of Milreu
In October a group of AAA members met Rui de Almeida and his colleague, Ricardo Louro who were to be our guides to the newly opened site of the Islamic baths and to the Igreja Matrix in Loulé.
After several years of work by archaeologists and the removal of several hundred cubic metres of earth the structures that had been hidden for a long time came to emerge. First the structures of a fifteenth-century house that had belonged to the Barreto family and below that the remnants of the Islamic public bath house (hammam).
After several years of work by archaeologists and the removal of several hundred cubic metres of earth the structures that had been hidden for a long time came to emerge. First the structures of a fifteenth-century house that had belonged to the Barreto family and below that the remnants of the Islamic public bath house (hammam).
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The hammam (Islamic Baths) of Al-‘Ulyà (Loulé) is thought to have been built between the early and mid-twelfth century. The building was partially underground to help in keeping the heat in. The rooms had vaulted ceilings (so that condensation from the water would run down the walls rather than drip onto bathers below) with small skylights for some daylight. The hot room, where bathing began, was located farthest from the street so that it retained as much heat in as possible. Adjacent to the hot room was the furnace which supplied the hot water used in the baths and funneled hot air under the raised floors (hypocaustus) of the hot and tepid rooms.
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By the mid-fifteenth century, the old bathhouse building had fallen into ruin and been partially buried, so much so that it had been completely forgotten. The plot became property of Gonçalo Nunes Barreto, who was given permission by King Afonso V in 1462 to build a house here. It initially consisted of an L-shape building around an uncovered courtyard with an arcade supporting the upper floor. In the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries a new colonnade was built to expand the upper floor. Here, the capitals and bases are square-shaped. They are decorated with pentagrams (five-pointed stars), vine leaves, bunches of grapes and a stylized rose, symbols associated with Christianity. It is this colonnade that can now be seen on site. |
The group then walked up to the Igreja Matrix and our guide Ricardo showed us the site of the original
Islamic minaret which stands next to the church. Inside he talked about the individual chapels and
main altar piece which have undergone considerable restoration.
Islamic minaret which stands next to the church. Inside he talked about the individual chapels and
main altar piece which have undergone considerable restoration.
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After lunch we met Antonio Medeiros and his colleague, Graça Wolfe, who were guiding us at the Roman site of Milreu near Estoi. This was a farming complex which besides the extensive gardens, winery and olive processing mills consisted of a large luxurious villa (villa rustica), baths, mausoleum and a temple dedicated to the water goddess. The site still preserves part of the once exuberant mosaics (mostly maritime motifs) that decorated the floor and walls of the villa.
The town was first constructed and inhabited in the 1st century with traces of continuous occupation until the 10th century. In the 6th century the temple was tranformed to a christian church. After the 10th century the site was abandoned and rediscovered in 1977 by Estácio da Veiga. |
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