Abstract
The article describes a traditional one-story building named cardenha, which is a type of vernacular building in the village of Vale de Poldros and widespread in the northern region of Portugal. The author has done the comparative analysis of construction of cardenha and similar structures that have dry stone masonry walls and corbelled dome roofs in the territory of the Mediterranean Basin. Related construction systems of cardenha were identified in the basic types of corbelled domes and unique features of the structures in Vale de Poldros are described.