Óbidos Village Square
The Square of Saint Mary, or Praça de Santa Maria, can be found at the northern end of Rua Direita, the street to which all other streets in Óbidos link to. The location of the historically important Igreja de Santa Maria, the square is a popular place to soak up the sun, and certainly isn't short of atmosphere. Buzzing during the summer months and picturesquely tranquil at other times of year, it is enclosed by a series of attractive buildings, while the focal point at its centre is perhaps the pillory.
This slender column of stone was once used to publicly shame criminals, who would be stripped naked and tied to the post for locals to throw objects at them. It is marked with the personal emblem of Queen Leonor, who gave the pillory to the town, and decorated with fishing nets which recalls an incident during which her only son was drowned while hunting close to the River Tagus before his body recovered by local fishermen.
Below it is a fountain fed by the waters of the town's similarly aged aqueduct.