Monument

Cava de Viriato

Held to be the largest earthwork enclosure on the Iberian Peninsula, an octagon of more than 30 hectares.

History

The Cava de Viriato is an octagonal earthwork enclosure north of the historic centre. It is bounded by embankments and a moat once fed by the Pavia river and the Santiago stream. It is a National Monument, but when it was built and what it was for are still unclear.

For a long time it was thought to be a Roman camp, attributed to Decimus Junius Brutus (137-136 BC) or to Petreius and Cassius Longinus (mid-1st century BC). The municipal Visit Viseu site now presents it as a 9th-10th-century earthwork, possibly linked to Almanzor. Viriathus' name was only attached to it in the 16th century, and it comes from popular tradition, not from documents.

What you will find

Six of the eight original embankments, which you can walk along.
A boardwalk that follows the octagonal outline of the enclosure.
The statue of Viriathus by the sculptor Mariano Benlliure, from 1940.

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Practical information

About the monument

Large octagonal earthwork in the north of the city, about 2 km around and enclosing some 30 hectares, listed as a National Monument. Its origin is still debated and the link to Viriato only appeared in the 17th century. Recent research points to an unfinished 10th-century city project.

Sources: Viseu Património · Visit Viseu

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