Chaves | “SEPVLCRVUM MEMORIA AETERNA” reveals the paths to eternity

The exhibition “SEPVLCRVUM MEMORIA AETERNA”, which opens next Monday, 18 May, at 9.30 pm at the Museu da Região Flaviense, explores how different societies have understood the transition from life to eternity, as part of the programme of events marking International Museum Day.

The exhibition offers a journey through the symbolic universe of death in the Flaviense region, exploring practices, rituals and ways of preserving memory from Roman times to the present day. The exhibition brings together archaeological artefacts of great historical value, including burial graves, funerary stelae, cupae, medieval sarcophagi and various materials associated with funerary contexts discovered in Chaves.

Among the highlights of the exhibition is the forensic facial reconstruction of a young man buried in the ruins of the Roman baths at Largo do Arrabalde, allowing us to ‘put a face’ to an individual who lived some fifteen centuries ago.

It also explores the evolution of mortuary practices between Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, marked by the spread of Christianity and the transformation of urban spaces, whilst incorporating references to the memory of war, burials in religious spaces and the development of cemeteries.

“SEPVLCRVUM MEMORIA AETERNA” is an invitation to reflect on memory, heritage and the human condition, bringing together archaeology, history, anthropology and spirituality.

Free admission.