Surroundings, Coimbra

About 1.5km/1mi east of Coimbra, in the suburb of Celas, is the former Benedictine abbey of Celas, founded in the 13th C. by Dona Sancha, daughter of King Sancho I, and much altered in the 16th C. It has a fine late 13th C. cloister which is worth seeing.

Farther east of Celas is the church of the former Franciscan convent of Santo António dos Olivais, which was burned down in the middle of the 19th C. St Antony is said to have lived in the convent (founded at the beginning of the 13th C.) in about 1220.

Condeixa, 15km/9mi southwest of Coimbra, has some fine palaces, including the 17th C. Palácio dos Lemos.

Only 2km/1.25mi southeast of Condeixa lies the extensive site of the Roman town of Conimbriga, founded in the second century B.C. and destroyed by the Suevi in A.D. 468. Although still being excavated, it is already clear that this settlement, to which present day Coimbra owes its name, constitutes the largest Roman site in Portugal.The town was secured by a wall about 2km/1.25mi long, and some of it, dating from the A.D. third century, still remains. The many ruins of houses, baths and fountains, and their mosaics, some of which are quite well preserved, are testimony to the wealth and good taste of Conimbriga's inhabitants. The third century "House of Fountains" is especially well worth seeing. The mosaics depict hunting scenes, dolphins and Perseus with the head of Medusa (it may be possible to persuade the attendant to turn on the fountains which date from Roman times).

About 15km/9mi southeast of Condeixa, picturesquely situated on a spur of high ground, is Penela, with a massive castle (11th/12th C.).

About 15km/9mi west of Coimbra can be found the convent church (1510) of St Mark, containing some notable 15th and 16th C. sculpture, and all that is left of the Hieronymite Convento de Sao Marcos which was destroyed by fire in 1860.

In this case it is almost better to travel than to arrive, since the journey from Coimbra towards Penacova passes through the beautiful, virtually unspoiled landscape of the Mondego valley, turning at Rebodosa towards Lorvao, which lies about 25km/15mi further on. The last part of the route is through woods (good opportunities for walks) then the first buildings in this remote little place suddenly appear, together with the convent, first recorded in 878. The present buildings, originally dating from the 10th century, were remodeled at the Renaissance. Only the church and cloister can be visited since the rest of the complex is a mental health institution. The imposing church (late 16th century) has interesting choir- stalls and 18th century silver shrines, with elaborate intarsia decorations, containing the remains of Sancho I's daughters Sancha and Teresa (13th century). The cloister is enclosed by an intricately wrought grille.This trip can easily be combined with a visit to the Bucaço National Park which lies north of Lorvao.

Lourosa, a little place about 75km/47mi east of Coimbra, has a pre-Romanesque, early 10th C. church. The belfry has been relocated because it was found to be on top of a very old burial site.