Rocha dos Namorados

The Rocha dos Namorados (Lovers’ Rock) is a large upright granite stone located in the parish of Corval, municipality of Reguengos de Monsaraz, in the Évora District of the Alentejo region of Portugal [1]. It is sometimes considered to be a menhir or standing stone but there is no evidence of it having been placed at the site and it seems to be a natural outcrop, although it does have some dimpled, megalithic engravings, as well as a cross, which is believed to have been carved in order to Christianise what was an ancient ritual [1]. It is considered a rare example of the veneration of stones associated with a secular, pagan fertility rite that has continued to the present [1]. The stone is more than two meters high, and has a shape similar to that of a mushroom, with the top having a circumference of about 7 meters [1]. The fertility rite involves girls of marriageable age consulting the rock to find out how long before they get married [1].