Medieval Tombstone, Montemor-o-Novo

Tombstone in semi-rectangular shape, made out of marble, with an orbicular cross, usually known as the “Templar cross”. This piece is actually in deposit at the Museum of the Convento de S. Domingos, in Montemor-o-Novo. Provenance: This piece comes from the Castle of Montemor-o-Novo, probably from the archaeological deposit of the Church of Santiago, which existed there until the 1980s. In the medieval village inside the fortified walls there were four parish churches (Santa Maria da Vila, Santa Maria do Bispo, Santiago and S. João Baptista), and cemetaries were built around each one. During the Middle Ages it was customary to mark the graves with tombstones, which were nothing more than slabs of stone placed standing straight, on which were engraved religious symbols and on which sometimes was indicated the profession of the deceased. This set of stelae comes safely from the ancient medieval cemeteries inside the castle, although it is not possible to determine to which church (s) it was associated.