Mother Church of Padrões

Mother Church of Padrões
It is at the parish of Padrões, about nine miles away from Castro Verde, that the Church of Saint Barbara stands, full of historical and ancient references.

It is the Mother Church of the parish and was built in the 16th century; however, its origins are much older, dating from the ruins of an ancient Arab mosque, over which it is said to have been constructed.

Rising isolated at a height, Igreja Matriz de Padrões has simple whitewashed façades and a lateral bell-tower.

The churchyard is surrounded by a low wall where a wooden cross shows the way to the entrance portal.

What makes Padrões and its church differ from other parishes of Castro Verde is the fact that hundreds of Roman skylights were discovered nearby.

It is presumed that they date from the 1st century, thus confirming the antiquity of human presence at this site.