The discovery was made “following the collapse of a church wall,” recorded during one of the episodes of bad weather that affected the Algarve in recent weeks, the municipal source explained.

“The work to replace the wall ended up uncovering part of the bones, and at the time, an archaeology team was called in to study the findings,” he explained.

The source from the Portimão City Council, a municipality in the district of Faro, explained that “it is normal to find bones in construction sites near churches, because these were places that were previously used as cemeteries”.

As these bones were found in the churchyard, technicians are considering the possibility of the existence of an “ancient cemetery on the site”, added the city hall source, highlighting that the “archaeology teams continue working” to understand exactly the context in which the burials were made.

Preliminary work indicates the existence of 12 bodies so far, although the teams of archaeologists do not exclude the possibility that more may be found, the municipal source added.

The Igreja Matriz de Portimão is a building dating back to the 15th century and was built “in the highest part of the city, inside the old walls”, as can be read in the description that the Algarve City Council gives of this religious architectural heritage on its website.

Inside, there is a “late Gothic portal” that was created based on the “most imposing monument of the time, the Batalha Monastery”, which highlights the municipality in the information it provides about the church.

“Different styles coexist there, such as Baroque, Rococo and Manueline, the result of the various phases of reconstruction and artistic enrichment of the temple that is now the Igreja Matriz de Portimão”, says the municipality.