The Silves pillory, in the Praça do Município, recently has undergone conservation and restoration work by a specialist team from the Council.
"With the intervention, the natural colour of the pillory's stone column was revealed and the forms and reliefs carved in its crown, once covered by fungi and lichens, came back to life.
“With regard to the metal parts, it is worth mentioning the surprising revelation after cleaning of a simple, but curious, flower decorative pattern,” revealed a delighted Council.
According to the restoration team, the work on the monument, classified as ‘of Public Interest’ in 1933 and which is a symbol of the municipality and its independence of neighboring lands, focused on the treatment and damage resulting from exposure to the weather and biological surface contamination, staining, discoloration and oxidation.
The monument is composed of stone and metal, each requiring different treatment, "In the case of the red ‘Silves’ sandstone, the procedures involved the application of biocides, mechanical and chemical cleaning using brushes, scalpels and a cleaning solution, consolidation of the column using a chemical agent, filling the gaps with mortar and a final preventive application of biocide.
“In the case of the metal, the treatment involved cleaning and the application of acrylic resin and microcrystalline wax," explained the Council, stressing that "interventions such as these are essential for the correct safeguarding and appreciation of historical assets."
The Silves pillory dates back to the 16th century, when it was erected in the city.
In the second half of the 19th century, the Council had the pillory dismantled and stored, with some of the parts taken to the Archaeological Museum in Faro.
In 1987, when the Council planned renovation work for the Largo do Município, the pillory was reassembled, but only the crown and the four iron arms belong to the original.
