Archaeological Museum of São Miguel de Odrinhas

The Archaeological Museum of São Miguel de Odrinhas, known in Portuguese as Museu Arqueológico de São Miguel de Odrinhas (MASMO), is an archaeological institution located in the parish of São João das Lampas e Terrugem, within the municipality of Sintra, Lisbon District, Portugal. The museum is situated amid local Roman ruins and traces its conceptual origins to the mid-16th century, when scholars began gathering dispersed Roman inscriptions around a local hermitage. Today, it serves as a major repository for artifacts spanning from the Middle Paleolithic to the 18th century, excavated from sites across the Sintra region.

The collection of epigraphic stones in the area began as early as the 1400s, when Roman inscriptions were displayed in the local chapel. In the mid-16th century, scholars including Francisco d'Ollanda systematically gathered these inscriptions from surrounding fields and villages around the Hermitage of São Miguel. After centuries of abandonment and the dispersal of the hermitage collection, the Sintra Town Council proposed the construction of a small museum in 1955 to reunite the stones and house recent discoveries. This initial structure was built, and the council began archaeological excavations to promote the adjacent Roman ruins. The original building eventually required serious repairs and closed. A new museum was designed by architects Alberto Castro Nunes and António Maria Braga, winners of the Rafael Manzano Prize for New Traditional Architecture, in collaboration with Léon Krier, and was inaugurated in 1999.

The museum's holdings are divided into two primary sections. The Epigraphic Section covers just over two millennia, from the Etruscan period to the Modern Age, and features a Roman tombstone collection recognized as one of the most important on the Iberian Peninsula. The Archaeological Section contains many thousands of pieces exhumed from sites throughout the Sintra municipality, spanning from the Middle Palaeolithic to the 18th century, with significant Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Roman exhibits. Beyond the core lapidary collection of over four hundred items, the museum also houses coins alongside ceramic, lithic, metallic, and osteological objects. Most of these artifacts derive from municipal archaeological excavations and items found by locals.

The museum contains many engraved and carved stones discovered locally, displaying Paleohispanic, Roman, Visigoth, and Oriental influences, as well as Medieval stone tablets. Among the non-local highlights are three Etruscan tombs, the only such tombs in Portugal. Originally brought from Italy, they were placed in the gardens of Monserrate Palace in Sintra as garden ornaments before entering the museum's collection. The prehistoric hall features artifacts from the Paleolithic to the Iron Age, including materials from the Megalithic Monument of Praia das Maças. Visitors can also tour the remains of the Roman villa around which the museum is built, which includes Roman plaques, tombstones, and columns.

The current museum building was constructed around and incorporates the ruins of a Roman villa. Designed by Alberto Castro Nunes and António Maria Braga in collaboration with Léon Krier, the 1999 structure reflects principles of New Traditional Architecture. The site extends beyond the museum building to include an extensive library, an auditorium, and leisure areas. It also regularly hosts events, temporary exhibitions, and guided tours to nearby archaeological sites, such as the Megalithic Site of Barreira, which is a short walk away.

The museum is located at Avenida Prof. Dr. D. Fernando d'Almeida, Odrinhas, in the São João das Lampas parish of Sintra. Admission is free. The museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 to 18:00, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 to 18:00, remaining closed on Sundays, Mondays, and holidays, with exceptions for June 29 and August 15 when it operates from 12:00 to 18:00. Access is via the National Road EN247 (Sintra-Ericeira) at the crossroad to São Miguel de Odrinhas, and Carris Metropolitana bus route 1633 stops nearby at Avenida Prof D. Dom Fernando de Almeida, 87. The museum is operated by the Sintra municipality and offers guided tours.