The works to consolidate the Tower of Centum Cellas and the interpretive center on that monument will be inaugurated on the 26th, Belmonte Council Day, at 16:00, said the mayor, Dias Rocha.
“We’re very pleased with the restoration. The tower is very beautiful, with no risk of problems. It was a huge investment by the municipality and I hope it will be visited a lot as the national monument it is,” the mayor told Lusa.
According to António Dias Rocha, an investment of more than 700,000 euros was made at the site, with 85% of the funds coming from the EU. This involved preserving the ruin, which was at risk of rockslides, and creating an interpretive center next to it.
In the new structure, Dias Rocha said, it will be possible to see multimedia content, as well as objects found in the excavations carried out, and the different theories about the genesis of the monument located in Colmeal da Torre will be disseminated.
“There are various theories about Centum Cellas and these theories will be on display. We’re not going to give our opinion. Let those who visit draw their own conclusions and get their own idea. If it was a prison, if it was the house of a rich Roman. The various theories will be on display,” said the mayor.
The mayor of Belmonte, in the district of Castelo Branco, stressed that it is “a unique monument, there is only one similar tower in Turkey, it is not known if there is a relationship between one and the other”, and added that the intervention will allow the importance of the Tower of Centum Cellas and the surrounding area to be known.
Dias Rocha detailed that, just as the tower needed intervention, the area around it “was a bit battered” and can be visited “with all the conditions it didn’t have until now”.
The various excavation processes will also be documented in the Centum Cellas interpretive center.
The ruins have given rise to many different theories and various legends. One version suggests that the monument was once a prison with a hundred cells, hence the name Centum Cellas, where St. Cornelius would have been held captive, which is why it is also known as the Tower of St. Cornelius.
There are various theories about the monument’s use, from temple to prison to hostel, but its history is still being studied.
In 2020, the Ministry of Culture delegated the management of the space to Belmonte City Council, as part of the process of decentralizing competences.
Also on Council Day, the municipality honors with honorary distinctions the teacher and researcher in Judaism Antonieta Garcia, Manuel Cameira, José Vieira, Maria Manuela Carvalho, Mário Duarte, the town of Caria for its centenary, the Maçainhas Youth Association, the Belmonte Sports Union and Group 33 of the National Scout Corps.
As part of the Festas do Concelho, which are celebrating the 50th anniversary of April 25, various artists will be performing in the town, such as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang on the 24th, Trivenção e Kinessis (25th), Tiago Silva (26th) and Nininho Vaz Maia (27th).
