Pelourinho de Sintra

The Pelourinho de Sintra stands in the center of the square, a tall, slender stone column topped with a simplified sphere. This pillory marks the spot where the town council exercised its legal authority during the sixteenth century. It replaced a more ornate structure that once symbolized royal justice. When the original pillory fell into disrepair, local officials ordered this replacement, choosing a modest design that reflects the town's shifting administrative needs and the era's taste for more understated public markers.