Pedra Moirinha

This rough stone is positioned in the middle of a sidewalk in an urban area of the town of Portimão. Having been moved from the distant mountains in prehistoric times, it was again moved in modern times because of construction. It now serves as an enigmatic presence in the urban context: challenging passers-by to think about what it is and why it is there.

(photographs graciously provided by one of our readers)

This large block of stone came from the Serra de Monchique, about 15km to the north. It’s a stone of nepheline syenite, but it’s located in an area of Myocene limestone.¹

It was identified as a menhir by geologist Carlos Teixeira², both because of the origin of the stone and from the fact that the stone was roughly shaped by people.

It was moved from its original location, because of the construction of a house. In the process, one end was damaged.³

It is officially listed and protected, as a Property of Public Interest.

Location

The stone is in the Algarve, district of Faro. It’s in the municipality of Portimão, in the city itself. It’s located along the Rua da Pedra (“Stone Street”).

Coordinates: 37.144884, -8.553326

Access

It’s on the sidewalk, alongside Rua da Pedra.

Signage

There are no signs near the stone.

Links

• Article (in Portuguese) from Wikipedia
• Description (in Portuguese) from Archaeologist’s Portal of Directorate-General of Cultural Heritage
• Designation (in Portuguese) as a Property of Public Interest by the Directorate-General of Cultural Heritage
• Detailed information (in Portuguese) in the database of the Directorate-General of Cultural Heritage

Nearby

There are many menhirs in the region. There are at least two others within the city of Portimão itself: the Menir dos Três Bicos, and the Menir de Vale da França. You can find out more about the prehistory of Portimão (including the exceptional megalithic tombs of Alcalar) at the Museum of Portimão.

Sources

1. Gomes, Mário Varela. “Megalitismo Do Barlavento Algarvio – Breve Síntese.” Setúbal Arqueológica, vol. 11-12, 1997, pp. 147–190, maeds.amrs.pt/publicacoes/setubal-arqueologica#faq-9. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026. ↩︎
2. Teixera, Carlos. “Notícias Geológicas e Paleontológicas. XV – A Pedra Moirinha, de Portião.” Naturália, nºs 17,18, vol. VIII, 1959-61, pp. 93-95. ↩︎
3. TEIXEIRA, Carlos (17 de Maio de 1979). «A Câmara de Portimão e a protecção do património cultural do concelho: a Pedra Moirinha» (PDF). Correio do Sul. Ano LX (3035). Faro. p. 1, 3-4. Consultado em 9 de Maio de 2024 – via Hemeroteca Digital do Algarve (courtesy of Wikipedia) ↩︎