Archaeological Museum of São Miguel de Odrinhas

The Archaeological Museum of São Miguel de Odrinhas is a small museum in the municipality of Sintra, Lisbon District, Portugal, devoted to the Roman past of its surroundings. Its greatest treasure is its stone inscriptions: the collection is regarded as the largest body of Roman epigraphy in the country.

How did a museum come to exist in Odrinhas?

The story goes back to the mid-16th century, when scholars, among them Francisco d'Ollanda, gathered many Roman inscriptions found among the ruins nearby around the local hermitage of São Miguel. Over time that collection was dispersed. In 1955 Sintra Town Council proposed building a small museum in Odrinhas to reunite the hermitage's holdings with more recently discovered items. The present building opened to the public in 1999; it was designed by architects Alberto Castro Nunes and António Maria Braga, with Léon Krier as consultant.

What will you see?

The core of the display is about 200 stone tablets bearing Latin, Visigothic and medieval scripts. The epigraphy dates from the 1st century BC to the 3rd century AD. The lapidary collection alone exceeds four hundred pieces, and many thousands of further objects have been added: coins, ceramics, stone and metal artefacts, and human and animal remains.

Why Odrinhas?

Around 30 BC, Olisipo (today's Lisbon) received a status from Augustus that let it combine Roman law with its own ancient laws, allowing full integration into the Roman Empire. Many of its important families lived outside the town in villas, and many of those estates lay in the Sintra area. That explains why the countryside around Odrinhas is so rich in Roman traces, and why finds from the ruins ended up here.

Who is it for?

The museum suits anyone interested in ancient history, epigraphy or archaeology, and visitors to Sintra who want to see a less obvious, Roman side of the area, far from its palaces and romantic gardens. It is a quiet stop where you can study inscriptions carved some two thousand years ago.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the museum? In Odrinhas, in the municipality of Sintra, Lisbon District, at roughly 38.886 N, 9.366 W.

What is the main highlight? The collection of Roman inscriptions, the largest of its kind in Portugal.

When did the current building open? In 1999.

What periods do the collections cover? The Roman epigraphy spans the 1st century BC to the 3rd century AD; there are also Visigothic and medieval inscriptions.

Are opening hours and prices fixed? They can change. Recently published details were Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-18:00, with adult admission at 4 euros. Check the Sintra municipality website before you go.