The Aljubarrota cross, also known as D. João I or São Lázaro cross, due to its proximity to a chapel dedicated to that saint, was partially destroyed in Guimarães in Portugal on Tuesday night.
Residents reported hearing a loud noise and seeing a group of young people fleeing.
The PSP and Municipal Police spent the night at the site guarding the pieces of the destroyed monument. Municipality services collected the stones for reconstruction on Friday morning.
Authorities are still investigating and not providing any information about the incident.
The standard, located at the beginning of D. João I street, has been a national monument since 1910. Originally erected at one of the village entrances to commemorate King John I’s triumphal return to Guimarães in 1386, to thank Our Lady of Oliveira for the victory over the Castilians in Aljubarrota on August 14, 1385.
