Conjunto de menires de Milrei e do Padrão

The Menhirs of Padrao, listed in the catalogue as the Conjunto de menires de Milrei e do Padrao, are a group of fifteen megalithic menhirs in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, in the Faro District of the Algarve region of Portugal. It is believed that they originally formed a large cromlech, or stone circle. An alternative interpretation is that they served as territorial possession markers. Evidence suggests that the site was more or less continuously occupied from the time of construction in around 4500 BCE to the end of Muslim occupation of Portugal in the middle of the 13th century CE.

The menhirs, probably erected during the Neolithic-Chalcolithic period, stand south of the village of Raposeira. Each of the fifteen was set on a different hilltop, giving a view of the surrounding coastal area as far as Sagres. All were carved from white limestone and had conical, subcylindrical, oval or parallelepiped shapes, with heights between 0.65 and 3 metres. Some bear cup marks and cords. The best-preserved, the Padrao Menhir, has a barely noticeable ring in relief at the top, a symbol also found on other menhirs in the region and interpreted as making the menhir represent a phallus. It is the only one still standing; all the others have fallen and some are in pieces.

The menhir numbered 9 is fragmented but of particular interest, because its base is a subcircular stone structure, about 5 metres in diameter, of limestone, sandstone and greywacke blocks. Finds there included percussion tools, flint flakes and fragments of prehistoric ceramic vessels, and a possible intentional deposit of a ceramic vessel with cockle and limpet shells. Near menhirs 1 and 2 an area rich in grave goods produced a combustion structure and a paving stone from the early Neolithic period, Roman and late-Roman building materials, and a necropolis used in the Visigothic and Islamic periods.

The menhirs were identified by Eduardo Prescott Vicente and Adolfo Silveira Martins, and excavated by Mario Varela Gomes. The Padrao Menhir was re-erected in 1984, after excavations. In 1994 new excavations found the remains of a settlement from around 4500 BCE, suggesting that the main menhir may be one of the oldest in Western Europe. Two menhirs are held in the Vila do Bispo museum with many of the finds.

The group is only a part of the estimated 250-300 menhirs found in Vila do Bispo, in an area of just 42 km2, the highest concentration of prehistoric monuments in the Iberian Peninsula. A joint classification of the Padrao and Milrei menhirs was decreed on 6 July 1983, but the process lapsed, and as of April 2026 the complex still lacked legal protection.

The menhirs, probably erected during the Neolithic-Chalcolithic period, are situated in the Padrão area of Vila do Bispo, south of the village of Raposeira. The best-preserved example, known as the Padrão Menhir, is located near the road between Raposeira and Praia da Ingrina, which divides the site. Each of the fifteen menhirs was situated on a different hilltop, allowing for a view of the surrounding coastal area as far as Sagres. They were all carved from white limestone and had conical, subcylindrical, oval, or parallelepiped shapes, with varied heights between 0.65 and 3 metres. Some of them have decorative elements, consisting of cup marks and cords. The Padrão Menhir is decorated with a barely noticeable ring in relief at the top, a symbol that has also been found on other menhirs in the region and is interpreted to have been used to make the menhir represent a phallus. The Padrão Menhir is the only one that is standing. All the others have fallen and some are in pieces. The Menhirs of Padrão are situated close to other prehistoric monuments, such as the Menhirs of Milrei and the Menhir of Aspradantes.

The menhir given the number 9 is one of those that are fragmented. It is of particular interest because its base is formed by a subcircular stone structure, about 5 metres in diameter, consisting of blocks of limestone, sandstone, and greywacke. A large number of findings were made at this particular site, including percussion tools, flint flakes, and remains of ceramic vessels from the prehistoric period. A possible intentional deposit was also discovered, which included a ceramic vessel and cockle and limpet shells. Close to menhirs 1 and 2, an area rich in grave goods was found, including a combustion structure and a paving stone from the early Neolithic period, building materials from Roman and late-Roman periods, and a necropolis used during the Visigothic and Islamic Gharb Al-Andalus periods. The dating of the grave goods allows us to identify a continuity of occupation and its incorporation into Mozarabic communities.

The Menhirs of Padrão are just a few of the estimated 250-300 menhirs found in Vila do Bispo, in an area of just 42 km2, the highest concentration of prehistoric monuments in the Iberian Peninsula.