PALRA | Documenting Living Languages in Western Iberia
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PALRA
136043
Laura_Pizarro_Jacinto
Spain
Cáceres
This object is a granite column with a carved cross-shaped top.
A few possibilities:
Rollo de justicia (Pillory)
In medieval Spain, these stone columns were placed in towns with certain jurisdictional rights, symbolizing the authority to administer justice. They often had a cross or hooks on top (to hang chains or symbols of punishment). The cross-shaped carving could be the remains of such a design.
Base for a stone cross or cruceiro
The cross-shaped cavity on the top may have supported a wooden or stone cross. These were often placed outside churches, monasteries, or at road junctions as devotional landmarks.
Holy water stoup / liturgical function (less likely outdoors)
The top could have been carved to hold holy water or oil, but given its placement against the wall outside, this seems less probable.
Since this is in Cáceres, where many medieval and Roman remains were reused, it’s possible this is a repurposed Roman column base later adapted as a cross pedestal in the Christian period.
Lingscape
