Praça do Giraldo, formerly known as Praça Grande, was the main public square of Évora and one of the principal places where the Inquisition held public autos-da-fé.

Until 1683, the public autos-da-fé of the Inquisition of Évora were held almost always in this square. A temporary platform was built near the Câmara, in the area of the present Banco de Portugal.

The auto-da-fé was the public reading of inquisitorial sentences. It was not the same as the execution. When a prisoner was “relaxed to the secular arm”, the Inquisition handed the person over to the civil authorities for execution.

In Évora, executions connected to these sentences could take place near the Pelourinho, in the Terreiro da Sé, in the Rossio de São Brás, or in other public spaces of the city.

After 1684, public autos-da-fé were more often held in other locations, including the Igreja de São João Evangelista dos Lóios and, later, the Igreja de São Francisco.