ALCOBAÇA

Alcobaça's Monastery or Royal Abbey of Santa Maria is one of the finest examples of early Gothic architecture in Europe. It was commissioned by Afonso Henriques (Portugal's first king) in 1153 following his victory over the Moors during the Christian Crusades in central Iberia.

King Afonso Henriques instructed the founder of the Order of Cistercians, the French abbot Bernard of Clairvaux, to supervise the construction of the Monastery. Work began in 1178AD, following the model of the abbey of Claraval, the Order’s mother church in France.

The first construction built on this site was the first Gothic church built on Portuguese soil. Only the Gothic portico and the rose window remains of the original façade. Everything else on the façade was dramatically altered during the 17th and 18th centuries when the twin bell towers were also added. The two figures either side of the portico are São Bento and São Bernardo.

Upon entering the church you'll notice the grandiose central nave. Barren of any adornments it radiates a sense of elevation. The layout is of a Latin cross and, as typical with Gothic churches, it has a very high ceiling. At 20 metres the lateral aisles of the nave are as high as the central one, which together with the relative slenderness of the church and large length conveys an impression of monumentality. Alcobaça remains, after 800 years, the largest Portuguese church. Inside are the resting places for the ill-fated royal lovers' Dom Pedro and Dona Inés located within the transept. Their marvellously decorated tombs are carved facing each other and inscribed with the phrase "Até ao fim do mundo…” or “Until the end of the world…” The church takes about 20 minutes to walk around and the entrance is free. Access to the Sacristy is through an ornate Manueline doorway and down a corridor with ribbed vaulting. The original Sacristy was replaced following the 1755 earthquake.

Built into the New Sacristy, the Reliquary Chapel is of superb beauty and is dubbed the “Mirror of Heaven” by Reynaldo dos Santos. It was built between 1669 and 1672 by Abbot Constantino de Sampaio. Built on an octagonal layout the interior is entirely covered with gilded wood carvings which are illuminated with great effect by the diffused light pouring into the room through a skylight in the cupola ceiling.

Immediately to the left inside the church is the Hall of Kings (Sala dos Reis) which today serves as the ticket office for the monastery. The room dates from the 17th century and the walls are adorned with azulejo tiles depicting the siege of Santarém, Dom Afonso's vow, and the founding of the monastery. Standing on their pedestals halfway up the walls are the statues which give the room its name. Carved by the monks themselves the statues represent virtually every King of Portugal until Dom José, who died in 1777.

The monastic buildings were erected shortly after the construction of the church. For the most part, they're stark and austere, reflecting the Cistercian belief in simplicity. For a small entrance fee, a visitor can experience the simple life of a monk and explore the complex. The hub of the monastery is the cloisters that were built during the reign of King Dinis, (Claustro de Dom Dinis), most likely between 1308 and 1311. As one of five sets of cloisters, the King's cloisters were designed by Domingo Domingues and Master Diogo. The Cloister of King Dinis I are also known as the Cloister of Silence because it was where monks would spend their time in quiet contemplation.

The lower floor is one of the finest Medieval cloisters in Portugal, between the buttresses thin twined columns create three arches crowned with a rosette. The upper floor was later added during the reign of Manuel I (1495-1521) and was designed by Diogo and João de Castilho. As part of the cloisters, there is a Gothic Fountain Hall which contains an elegant early renaissance water basin, decorated with renaissance motifs including the coat-of-arms of the monastery.

The original kitchens were demolished to make way for the Afonso VI Cloister in the 17th century. The only surviving relic of the medieval kitchens is a Romanesque door. The current kitchen is located next to the Refectory. Its centrepiece is an 18-metre tall chimney suspended on eight pillars. The fireplace was designed to roast a whole ox. The chimney is covered in glazed tiles which also adorn the interior walls. Water from the river Alcoa supplies a water basin to the rear of the room. The kitchen is opulent in contrast to the stark living quarters of the monks and the abstinent nature of the Cloister of Silence.

Next to the kitchens the Refectory is a cavernous vaulted chamber where the monks ate in silence. The western wall contains an arched staircase leading to an elegant pulpit where passages from the Bible were read out to aid the monks' digestion.
The dormitory is a similar large gothic vaulted room where the monks slept, except for the abbot who had his own private quarters. The dormitory was originally divided into individual cells, the partitions were demolished during the 1930s.

The Chapter House is where the monks gathered to discuss daily matters concerning the monastery. Proceedings started each day with a chapter read from the Rule of St Benedict. The entrance to the Chapter House is through a Romanesque portal with two similar windows on each side. The room is now filled with baroque statues created by the monks created for the main chapel of the church.
Low Season: 09h30 - 18h00, High Season: 09h30 - 19h00.

Adult: €6.00, Combined Ticket: Alcobaça, Batalha, Convento de Cristo: €15.00, Concessionary: €3.00, Child under 12: FREE, Sundays up to 14h00: FREE.
Lisbon Card: FREE

Contact Details
Mosteiro de Alcobaça, 2460-018, Alcobaça, Portugal.
39° 32' 54.2"N | 08° 58' 48.2"W | +351 262 505 120 | mosteiro.alcobaca@igespar.pt

Alas, there's nothing much left of this castle that was truly battered by the ill fates of history. The walls that can be seen today date from the 12th Century, re-build following the Reconquista. They replace an earlier 6th Century Moorish fortification which didn't survive repeated Christian onslaught. Located on an ideal strategic point upon a crest of a hill overlooking the town. Following the hand over of the region to the Cistercian Order, the monks used the slopes of the castle to grow grapes and thus kickstarting the towns winemaking heritage. Since then it's suffered four separate earthquakes and pillaging of its stones by locals. Some re-building work did take place in the 1950s and today seven square turrets and a Moorish watchtower, known as "Torre dos sete sobrados" still survive. It is for the view from this vantage point that remains the best reason to visit. A climb here is rewarded by amazing vistas over the Monastery and town below.

The National Wine Museum is located within a former winery built by José Raposo de Magalhães, a pioneer in wine production in the Alcobaça region, on lands once owned by the Monastery. As soon as Magalhães acquired the winery he set about modernising grape cultivation and applying cutting edge 19th-century wine production techniques. The region attained fame, credibility and wealth from its quality wines both nationally and abroad. When the phylloxera pandemic occurred, Magalhães replanted Alcobaças vines using grafts from France. The National Wine Museum is Portugal's largest such museum. The collection amounts to over 8,500 artefacts related to oenology and associated crafts. Visitors can see portable presses, barrels, historic wine labels, bottles, farming tools and copper stills, collected from across the country. The insightful tour will take you through the cellars and distillery before ending with a wine tasting.
Tuesday - Friday: 09h00 - 11h30/14h00 - 17h00, Weekends: 10h00 - 12h30/13h30 - 16h00,

Adult: €2.50, Concessionary Disabled, Student, Youth card & OAP: FREE

Contact Details
Rua de Leiria Olival Fechado, Alcobaça, Portugal.
39° 33' 08.0"N | 08° 58' 38.9"W | +351 262 582 750 | museus@cm-alcobaca.pt

There's another monastery close by in the village of Cós and is one of the largest Cistercian nunneries in Portugal. It is somewhat grim and the dilapidated exterior hides true gems inside. The Abbot of Alcobaça founded the Monastery of Santa Maria Cós in the 13th Century and quickly became one of the most important monastic complexes in the region. The most important monastery for Cistercian nuns. Its original construction began in the 12th century, sometime after the Alcobaça Abbey, as a place for widows who wanted to lead a monastic life. It grew in importance and was enlarged between 1558 and 1670. The lavish interior is fine early Portuguese Baroque that includes a wooden boxed ceiling, 17th and 18th-century azulejo tiles and gilded altars. The ten azulejo tile panels depict the life of Saint Bernardo de Claraval (Clairvaux), a promoter of the Cistercian order. A gilded screen remains which was once used to separate the cloistered nuns from the ordinary folk. The monastery was declared Building of Public Interest in 1946 and has undergone much restoration work since.
Tuesday - Saturday: 09h30 - 12h30/14h00 - 18h00, Sunday: 14h00 - 18h00, Monday: CLOSED.

Entrance: FREE

Contact Details
6 Rua de Santa Rita 2460 Coz, Alcobaça, Portugal.
39° 35' 54.3"N | 08° 57' 20.5"W | +351 262 582 750 | juntafcoz@mail.telepac.pt