Alcobaça - Real Abadia de Santa Maria de Alcobaça

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Real Abadia de Santa Maria de Alcobaca Description

The Cistercian abbey of Alçobaça - once one of the most prosperous and influential religious houses in Portugal - is now one of its outstanding architectural monuments. It was declared a building of world cultural interest by UNESCO in 1989. In 1154 King Afonso (Henriques) I granted land in this area, recovered during the liberation of Santarém from the Moors (March 15th 1147), to Bernard of Clairvaux, who had supported him in the long-drawn-out negotiations for Papal recognition of the newly established kingdom of Portugal, for the foundation of a Cistercian abbey. The king had himself already laid the foundation stone of a first church in 1148, and 1154 saw the first monastic buildings. The influx of monks from Burgundy soon

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necessitated larger quarters and the building of a new abbey was begun in 1178 and largely completed by 1222. It was to be much altered in subsequent centuries, the new buildings combining with the old to form an ensemble of notable harmony.

In accordance with the rules of the order there were always 999 monks ("one less than a thousand"), who cultivated fruit and vines in the valleys of the Alcoa and the Baça, thus laying the foundations of what is still the largest area of orchards in Portugal. Here, too, in the 13th C., the monks established the first public school in the kingdom, and this later played a part in securing the establishment of the first Portuguese university at Coimbra. The abbot of Alcobaça, who styled himself "Counsellor to His Majesty and Almoner of the Crown", had dominion over thirteen towns and villages, three ports and two castles; and between the 13th and the 18th C. the abbey was one of the country's leading intellectual and spiritual institutions, providing the Portuguese kings not only with a refuge in case of need but also with a place for retreat and meditation.

The 1775 earthquake severely damaged the abbey, and in 1811 it was occupied by French troops under Marshal Junot and plundered of many of its treasures. In 1834 the abbey was secularized and the buildings converted to various uses (barracks, stables, etc.). Finally, in 1930, the importance of this national monument was recognized and it was given statutory protection.

General layout

The abbey layout is modeled on that of the mother house at Cluny, and its excellent state of preservation makes it the finest example of Cistercian architecture in Europe. Basically Gothic in structure, the abbey is approximately square in plan. In addition to the mighty church and the usual offices it contains five cloisters, seven dorters (dormitories), accommodation for guests, a library and a huge kitchen. Some parts of the building are occupied by government offices and a school, and hence not open to the public.

Hobbies & Activities category: Education institution; Architecture - Gothic; Government or institution building; Historic site; Christian sites; UNESCO World Heritage Site

Real Abadia de Santa Maria de Alcobaca Highlights

Abbey Church

The main front of the abbey in Alcobaça, 221m/725ft long, is dominated by the Baroque facade (1725) of the church with its two low towers and its numerous statues. Of the original Gothic facade

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there survive only the doorway (also decorated with Baroque sculpture) and the large rose window.

The interior of the early Gothic hall-church is of Cistercian clarity, austerity and simplicity. The most spacious church interior in Portugal (106m/348ft long, 21.5m/71ft wide and 20m/65ft high), it is divided into three aisles of equal height, the lateral aisles being very narrow. Twenty-four massive piers, recessed on the inner side to take the choir-stalls (which were burned by the French), support twelve bays of Gothic vaulting. Around the choir are nine chapels and the high altar is surrounded by eight columns.

In the transepts are the sumptuous tombs of King Pedro I (south transept) and his beloved Inês de Castro (north transept), who was murdered at the behest of Pedro's father King Afonso IV. After his accession Pedro had her exhumed and crowned in due form at Coimbra as queen. The tragic story of the unhappy lovers and the bloody vengeance which Pedro exacted on the murderers after he became king, earning him the sobriquet of Pedro the Cruel, are celebrated by Camoes in the third canto of his "Lusiads".

At Pedro's wish the tombs were so placed that when they arose on the Day of Judgment the two lovers would see each other at once. The sarcophaguses, hewn from soft Ançâ sandstone, with rich figural decoration, are in the Flamboyant style of the second half of the 14th century. They were much damaged by Junot's troops in 1811.

On the sarcophagus of Inês de Castro, which is supported by crouching figures, is the recumbent figure of the dead woman, surrounded by six praying angels. Along the sides are scenes from the life of Christ, at the foot the Last Judgment, at the head Christ on Calvary. The stone sarcophagus of King Pedro, borne by six lions, has the recumbent figure of the king, also surrounded by praying angels. Along the sides are scenes from the life of St Bartholomew, and at the head is a wheel of fortune with 18 episodes from the life of the two lovers, including the murder of Inês.

In the transept chapels are painted terracotta figures of unnamed monks (17th century) and a fine representation of the death of St Bernard. To the east of the ambulatory the two fine Manueline doorways (16th century) are by Joao de Castilho. In the antechamber of the sacristy is the only example of reticulated vaulting in the abbey.

On the west side of the south transept is the Sala dos Túmulos, a funerary chapel containing a number of tombs.

Monastic Buildings

On the north side of the church are the medieval monastic buildings. A doorway in the north aisle leads into the beautiful two story Claustro do Silêncio or Claustro de Rei Dinis. The lower

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Chapterhouse

On the southeast side of the cloister is the chapterhouse (14th C.), at the southwest corner the Sala dos Reis (Hall of Kings), the walls of which are decorated with azulejos depicting scenes from

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Fountain House

On the north side of the cloister stands the Gothic fountain house. Here, too, is the entrance to the refectory (fine reading desk), one of the oldest parts of the abbey. Adjoining is the large

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Address

Real Abadia de Santa Maria de Alcobaça
Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaça
Praça 25 de Abril
Alcobaça
Portugal

Hours

April 1 to September 30

Open	9:00	9:00	9:00	9:00	9:00	9:00	9:00
Closed	19:00	19:00	19:00	19:00	19:00	19:00	19:00

October 1 to March 31

Open	9:00	9:00	9:00	9:00	9:00	9:00	9:00
Closed	17:00	17:00	17:00	17:00	17:00	17:00	17:00

Always closed on:
Easter - Christian May Day / Labor Day (May 1) Christmas - Christian (December 25)