22 - House of the Fountains

The House of the Fountains, excavated in 1939, has since become the landmark of Conimbriga, due to the quality of its architecture, greatly enhanced by the restorations of the mosaics and water features of the central peristyle, which began in 1953. The house, in its best-known state, corresponds to the remodelling of an earlier building, less ostentatious in terms of decoration, but no less important for its dimensions and urban setting. This older building was a two-story construction: one floor opened onto the main street, and two shops remain in a state close to the original; the lower floor, in a semi-basement, opened onto another street that passed through the valley, located today outside the perimeter of the ruins; some of these basements are now visible, but the house is not completely excavated in this area, extending under the public road and onto the adjacent land. In its most interesting phase, the house was a residence of remarkable architecture, with a grand entrance, a central peristyle with water features, and two very important rooms: the large dining room at the back, and an open room, a kind of alcove, intended for reception functions by the owner of the house, on the south side. Also in this southern part of the house, but with lateral access through the peristyle, was the private area, with the family's living rooms, arranged around a small courtyard with a tank and fountain. Around the large dining room, called the triclinium, were other rooms of great importance, decorated with beautiful mosaics and a garden, whose dimensions are not completely determined.