ROMAN RUINS OF CONIMBRIGA
Go there and contact
Roman ruins of the 2nd century BC, among the best preserved of the Iberian Peninsula with mosaics, houses...
It is a very strange moment to spend in Conímbriga... These Roman ruins, among the most important in Portugal and the best preserved in the whole Iberian Peninsula, have a strong evocative power, probably because of the beauty of the mosaics (1,500 m² remaining in their original location) and the still intact presence of several houses (that of the patrician Cantaber, the house of the Water Games) whose splendour and harmony you can see. These ruins date back to the 2nd century BC, the period of Christianisation of the Roman Empire. The foundations of a Christian church and two tombs (where the skeletons are visible under a glass plate) attest to this transformation. But you really have to spend time in front of the mosaics that, pebble by pebble, line the rooms.
The meticulous precision of their ornamental motifs, the variety of shapes, the preserved brilliance of the colours are all part of the enchantment. The house of the patrician Cantaber and the house of the Water Games still bear witness to the art of living cultivated by the Romans! The basins of the peristyles are perfectly preserved, as well as the public thermal baths, which have been highly involved in Roman life. Gradually, Conímbriga declined, deserted to the benefit of the neighbouring city which took the name of Coimbra, the Celtic suffix briga having been removed. A part of the site has been recently reconstructed: for example, the white columns show the presumed height of those of the forum at the time.
Book the Best Activities with Get Your Guide
Members' reviews on ROMAN RUINS OF CONIMBRIGA
