January 2023 : Day visit to      Museu de Lucerne at Castro Verde,        
                                                                            Ermida de São Pedro das Cabeças
                                                                                                           and the museum in Ourique

Picture
The oil lamp museum (Museu de Lucerne) in Castro Verde is a single-theme Museum with a collection of Roman clay oil lamps which is considered to be the largest collection in the world. They were discovered by chance in 1994 during archaeological exploration in the village of Santa Bárbara de Padrões close to the church and cemetery. They date from between the 1st and 3rd century and may be the remainder from a sanctuary in the neighbourhood, but in fact nobody is quite sure why they were deposited there is such large quantities.
We were received by archaeologists Cidália Matos (Museum Director) and Antónia Henriques.
The Museum was created and is funded by the Câmara de Castro Verde itself! Quite a notable initiative for such a small community.



The variety of these little objects is staggering and, far from being boring, one can spend hours looking at, sometimes hilarious, details! Almost all the lamps are different with a variety of decorations including scenes of daily life, mythology, animals and various objects.

We then went to the Ermida de São Pedro das Cabeças. This is sanctuary which was built in memory of the battle of Ourique which supposedly took place here on 25 July 1139. 
Actually, this battle may never have happened, and if it did, nobody is sure where it did take place and whether the military had a real battle or just a small skirmish between potentates.
Anyhow, the story is that Don Afonso Henrique defeated 5 Moorish kings who were beheaded after the battle (represented by the 5 shields in the coat of arms, see last picture).
We were accompanied by the archaeologist: Samuel Melro (from Alentejo Cultural Directorate), who gave this very interesting account of what may have (or not…) happened.
After lunch we went to Ourique to see another great local initiative, the Archaeological Centre Caetano de Mello Beirão. For a such small city to make funds available to open and maintain such a great archaeological center is amazing! We were given an introduction by Tiago Costa (Câmara Municipal de Ourique), who also showed us the rest of the building and commented on work done there. And, WHAT A WORK! Personnel is sifting there through literally hundreds of kilograms of pottery shards and such material, sorting, and piecing together, with amazing results!