Anta de Pavia
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Anta de Pavia | |
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 Interactive map of Anta de Pavia | |
| Alternative name | Anta-Capela de São Dinis |
|---|---|
| Location | Pavia, Mora, Évora District, Portugal |
| Coordinates | 39°53′39″N 8°01′02″W / 39.89417°N 8.01722°W |
| Type | Dolmen |
| Diameter | 4.3 m (14 ft) |
| Height | 3.3 m (11 ft) |
| History | |
| Founded | c. 3000 BCE |
| Periods | Late Neolithic; Early Chalcolithic |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1914–15; 2013 |
| Condition | Good. Converted into a Christian chapel |
| Public access | Yes |
The Anta de Pavia, also known as the Anta-Capela de São Dinis, is a large megalithic tomb, or dolmen, in the village of Pavia in the municipality of Mora in the Évora District of Portugal. Located in the centre of the village, it is a unique case of a dolmen now situated in a fully urban context. In the early 17th-century the tomb was consecrated and converted into a small chapel. It has been designated as a National Monument since 23 June 1910.[1]
The dolmen is in the main square of Pavia, surrounded by a pavement and roads. The polygonal oval burial chamber of the dolmen has a maximum outer diameter of 4.3 metres and a height of 3.3 metres. It consists of seven in situ upright stones, with a single covering capstone, which measures 3.0 × 2.6 metres. It was originally constructed between the 4th and 3rd millennia BC, placing it in the Late-Neolithic or Neo-Chalcolithic periods. It would originally have had an entrance corridor but that is now missing.[1][2][3][4]
With its conversion into the Chapel of Saint Dinis it became, and remains, the largest reconstruction of a megalithic structure on the Iberian Peninsula. The first written reference to it is from 1625. The dolmen's chamber serves as the apse of the chapel, with the 17th-century addition forming a small nave with a length of just one metre. It has a triangular façade and there are three steps at the entrance. The altar is decorated with azulejo tiles. A bell tower and a cross were also added. This is not the only dolmen that has been Christianized in Portugal. Other examples include the Dolmen-Chapel of São Brissos at Santiago do Escoural and the Anta-Capela de Alcobertas in the Santarém District.[2][3][4][5]