Alcobaça Monastery — Attraction in Alcobaça

The monastery Santa Maria de Alcobaça a monastic group of buildings located in the town of Alcobaça, some 120km north of the capital,Lisbon. The monastery was established in 1153 by the first Portuguese King, Afonso Henriques, and would develop a close association with the Portuguese monarchy throughout its seven-century-long history. The Alcobaça Monastery is one of the first buildings associated with the Cisterians in Portugal. It was founded in 1153 as a gift from the first Portuguese king to Bernard de Clairevaux, following the King's conquest of the city of Santarém from the Moors in March 1147. The foundation of the monastery was part of a larger strategy by king Afonso I to ascertain his authority and promote the colonisation of lands recently conquered from the muslins during the "Reconquista Cristã". Construction began in 1178, some 25 years after the first Cistercian monks settled in. Initially, the mpnks lived in wooden houses, and would only move to the newly built monastery in 1223. The church proper wasn't completed until 1252. Church and adjacent monastery are the earliest examples of truly Gothic architecture in Portugal, and the church itself was the largest in Portugal at the time of its completion. The final touch in this large mediaeval ensemble was given in the late 13th century, when King Dom Dinís ordered the construction of the Gothic cloister, also known as the Cloister of Silence. The monks dedicated their lives to religious meditation. The monks from the monastery produced an early authoritative history on Portugal in a series of books. The library at Alcobaça was one of the largest Portuguese mediaeval libraries, but was pillaged by the invading French in 1810, and many items were stolen in an anti-clerical riot in 1834, when the religious orders in Portugal were dissolved. The remnants of the monastery library, including hundreds of mediaeval manuscripts, are kept today in the Portugal's national library in Lisbon. During the Middle Ages, the monastery quickly became a powerful and influential presence within the kingdom of Portugal. The monastery owned and developed extensive agriculture areas, and the abbot exerted influence over a large area. A public school was opened in 1269. The importance of the monastery can be measured by the fact that many monarchs were buried here in the 13th and 14th as king Pedro I and his mistress, Inês dd Castro, who was murdered on the orders of Pedro's father, King Afonso IV. After being crowned King, Pedro commissioned two magnificent Gothic tombs for him and his mistress, both of which can still be seen inside the monastery church. During the reign of Manuel I, a second floor was added to the cloister and a new sacristy was built, following the characteristic Portuguese late Gothic style known as "Manuelino". The monastery was further enlarged in the 18th century, with the addition of a new cloister and towers to the church, although the mediaeval structure was mostly preserved. In the Baroque period, the monks were famous for their clay sacral sculptures. A great damage was caused by invading French troops in the first years of the 19th century, during , during the Napoleonic War. In addition to looting the library, they robbed the tombs, and stole and burnt part of the inner decoration of the church. In 1834, with the dossolution of the monasteries, the last monks left the monastery. Alcobaça Monastery was classified as a National Monument January 1, 1907 and included to the special protection zone on...

The largest Gothic church of the Order of Cistercians. Classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, this imposing monastery is one of the most impressive and beautiful examples of Cistercian architecture in all of Europe. The Abbey's Charter of Foundation dates from April 8, 1153 and, despite its almost 900 years, it keeps intact all the medieval dependencies. Its church is the first and largest in primitive Gothic style, built in Portugal during the Middle Ages. Contemporary with the founding of Portugal, the Monastery is also a bit of its history. Founded by the first king, D. Afonso Henriques, and since then dedicated to the Marian cult, it was born from the donation of the lands of Alcobaça to Bernardo de Claraval and the Cistercian Order for the victory over the Moors in the conquest of Santarém. Construction began in 1178 and ended about 100 years later. At the time, the master masons of the Order of Cistercians experimented with a new “mode” of construction – Gothic – introducing this architectural language into Portuguese territory. The monks in white habit created a work of unique civilization in the region, the first example of which is the public school instituted from 1269 onwards. the monks settled, developed and where they instituted a school of agriculture. On the church's façade, only the Gothic portico is original. Flanking it, the lightness of the statues of Saint Benedict and Saint Bernard contrasts with the Baroque weight of the frontispiece and the bell towers that were added in the 18th century, when the last parts of the monastery were also completed. The grandiose central nave, stripped of any adornment, produces a sense of elevation and spirituality. In the center of each transept arm we can see two masterpieces of medieval statuary, the tombs of D. Pedro I (1357-67) and D. Inês, placed face to face so that they can be found again on Resurrection Day. Be sure to visit the impressive set of medieval rooms, including the Refectory, the Bedroom and the Chapter Room, as well as the Cloister of D. Dinis, the surprising Kitchen and the Room...

Alcobaça Monastery

Type: UNESCO's World Heritage Site Time spent: over 1 hour. Price (Monastery): 10 EUR - normal ticket, 5 EUR - up to 25 y.o. Price (Sacristia): 2 EUR [visit is possible just during the scheduled time!] Car Parking: available, paid Bike parking: in front of the building, close to restaurants and Pelourinho de Alcobaça WC: available Paths for disabled: available Last enter: 1h before it is closed

The Alcobaça Monastery or Alcobasa Monastery is a Catholic monastic complex located in the town of Alcobaça. The monastery was established in 1153 by the first Portuguese king, Afonso Henriques. The church and monastery were the first Gothic buildings in Portugal but after the Great 1755 Lisbon earthquake some elements were damaged and the new ones, Baroque, were added.

Take into consideration, that Sacristia [the back part of the main church] can be visited just during the specific hours and is additionally paid [+2 EUR].

Capela de Nossa Senhora do Desterro is a part of Alcobaça Monastery, but temporarily closed for public visit. Just during the specific festival, it opens.

Claustro dos Noviços is open just for service workers, but you can see it from the balcony of the Monastery.

Claustro de D....