Pillory and Town Hall

The Manueline pillory of Vila Nova de Foz Côa is classified as a National Monument. Known for its enormous sculptural beauty, it is made up of four steps with eight faces, on which the wide base of the column rests, the first of which is smooth while the other steps have a bulging and protruding upper edge. The shaft is extremely ornate and of rare sculptural beauty, with a square section about three meters high. There are geometric motifs carved between its four cantonal columns, and in the middle of the shaft there is a very elaborate square ring, bounded at the top by a frame of ropes on which the voluminous abacus rests. Four unequal pinnacles protrude above the table, with an armillary sphere topped by a fleur-de-lis in the center. The pillory is located in Praça do Município, in front of the Town Hall, which was built in 1858. This new building replaced a 17th century one, which had become too small for the municipality's needs, especially after receiving parishes from the extinct municipalities of Freixo de Numão, Marialva and Almendra. The main door has a depressed arch framed by fluted pilasters and topped by a bay window. It bears the arms of King Pedro V.