Also known as: Castro de Santa Eulália / Povoado fortificado de Santa Eulália / Povoado fortificado de Santa Olaia. The Santa Olaia's site (Ferreira-a-Nova / Figueira da Foz/Coimbra) is deployed in a small elevation on the right bank of the Rio Mondego, 3.2km west of the Montemor-o-Velho castle and 2km east of the Maiorca settlement. Located in a strategic position and having access to diverse natural resources, Santa Olaia was a chosen area for settlement since the Neolithic. Traces from this period are limited to some dispersed materials without context, recovered in tree beds or foundation pits. The main occupation moment of Santa Olaia occurs during the 1st Iron Age, between the 9th and the 8th centuries BC, with a Phoenician settlement and the beginning of the construction of the wall, carrying on along the 8th century BC. Between the 7th/6th and the 4th centuries BC, the Phoenician presence becomes consolidated, with the construction of dwellings and the presence of imported ceramics. The last stage of occupation may have occurred between the 4th and 3rd century BC. The Roman presence appears to have been residual and the settlement type is still unknown. Remains of the wall and two square towers from the medieval period are located in the NW sector, indicating the presence of a military structure. Because of its strategic position, Santa Olaia might have had an important role in territorial conquest and defence during the Christian reconquest, a period heavily marked by changes in power. Besides ceramics dated from the Early Medieval period, there are also some productions that can be framed in the Emirate/Caliphate era and Taifa kingdoms, confirming the Islamic presence between the 9th-11th centuries. The terminus of the Islamic dominance matches the date of the oldest written mention of Santa Olaia castle - 1087, and just as in Coimbra, many ceramics, bearing both Christian and Islamic decoration, were found in the area. The abandonment of Santa Olaia might have occurred during the 12th / 13th century, coinciding with the Mondego river line loss of defensive importance. The structures found north of the hill are part of a wall protected settlement, expanded through terraces along the slope, framed in the Iron Age. The dwellings, small/medium-sized and rectangular in shape, would have stone foundations, walls made of adobe and clay pavements (where hearths were located). The buildings, found in flood areas, had rocky foundations, which made them impermeable. On the Northside, on the shores of the nearby "zona ribeirinha", a smelter area was excavated, revealing the metallurgical culture of the settlement.

The site has Interpretive signage.

Free entrance with information

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