Pillory

Marialva still has most of the testimony to its past administrative independence, such as the castle and palace (in ruins), the citadel, the former town hall, jail and court and the pillory in front of them. It is a 16th century monument built immediately after King Manuel’s charter. The pillory stands on a platform of four octagonal steps. It consists of a square based column notched in the upper angles, a smooth eight-sided shaft around four metres high and an eight-sided cage. It has no capital, just an octagonal frame like an abacus. The cage consists of two pyramid-shaped, eight-sided tops, the lower of which is inverted and the upper one held up by iron pins buried in all the arrises in addition to a small central column. The cupola is topped by a small button. One of steps at the base of the monument is marked 1559, probably the year in which it was built. The pillory is also in Largo da Praça and was classified as being of public interest in 1933.