World Heritage Photos

The Monastery of Alcobaça is situated in the town of Alcobaça, about 96 km north from Lisbon. The monastery was the first wholly Gothic building in Portugal. The Monastery of Alcobaça was founded by Afonso Henriques, the first Portuguese king. It was built in the period 1178-1223. Once built, the king gave the monastery to Bernardus of Clairvaux, the founder of more than 70 Cistercian monasteries. During the reign of King Manuel I, a new sacristy was built in the Portuguese Manueline style. The Monastery of Alcobaça was enlarged in the 18th century. The Church of the Monastery of Alcobaça is the largest built church in Portugal in the Middle Ages. The Flamboyant-Gothic sculpted tombs of King Pedro I and his beloved Inês de Castro in the transept of the monastery church are the most wonderful medieval tombs in Portugal. The Sala dos Reis, the Kings Room, is the decorated with blue ceramic tiles. The large kitchen is fully tiled, the impressive kitchen chimney is supported by eight wrought iron columns. The water basin in the kitchen contained water brought by a system of canals. In 1834, with the dissolution of the monastic life in Portugal, the Cistercian monks were ordered to leave the monastery. The monastery is one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal and an important historic destination in Portugal. The Monastery of Alcobaça gained the status as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1989.

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   The façade of the Monastery of Alcobaça. The Monastery of Alcobaça was founded by Afonso Henriques, the first Portuguese king. It was built in 1178-1223 and was the first Gothic building in Portugal. In later years, the monastery was continuously modified and expanded. Once built, the king gave the Monastery of Alcobaça to Bernardus of Clairvaux, a French Cistercian abbot. The monastery church houses the most wonderful medieval tombs in Portugal. The Monastery of Alcobaça is one of the most important historic destinations in Portugal.

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   Monastery of Alcobaça: The immense central nave of the monastery church. The church of the Monastery of Alcobaça is the largest built Early Gothic church in Portugal in the Middle Ages. The central nave is twenty metres high and gives the church an enormous gracefulness, it is the largest built nave in Portugal in the Middle Ages. The heights of the naves is also twenty metres. The Monastery of Alcobaça was declared a UNESCO World Heritage in 1989.

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   Monastery of Alcobaça: The tomb of King Pedro I is supported by sculpted lions. The tombs of King Pedro I and the Galician noblewoman Inês de Castro are situated in the transept of the monastery church. The tombs are decorated with sculptures showing scenes of their lives and the story of their tragic love affair. Inês de Castro was the true love of Prince Pedro. His father, King Afonso IV, ordered her death to prevent his son, Prince Pedro, from marrying her.

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   Monastery of Alcobaça: The tomb of Inês de Castro is supported by sculptures half-beast half-monk. The tombs of King Pedro I of Portugal and Inês de Castro are adorned in the Flamboyant-Gothic style. The sculptures depict scenes of the story of their tragic love affair. When Pedro became king of Portugal, he had the body of Inês exhumed from her grave, forced the entire court to swear allegiance to their new queen and kiss the hand of the corpse of Inês de Castro.

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   The Monastery of Alcobaça: The tombs of King Pedro I and Inês de Castro in the transept of the Church of Alcobaça are the most wonderful medieval tombs in Portugal. The tombs are facing each other, so when the Day of Resurrection will arrive, the first face they will see, will be the face of each other. On the marble tombs is inscribed: Until the end of the world. The life of Inês de Castro is immortalized in several plays, poems and operas.

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   The Monastery of Alcobaça: The18th century Sala dos Reis, the Room of the Kings. The walls are adorned with 18th century blue-white azulejos, Portuguese tile work, depicting the history of the founding of the Monastery of Alcobaça and the life of the famous Cistercian abbott Bernardus of Clairvaux. The Room of the Kings houses the statues of practically all the Kings of Portugal.

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   Monastery of Alcobaça: The monastery garden is planted with wonderfully fragrant orange trees that bear blossoms and fruit simultaneously. This is a natural phenomenon characteristic of certain types of citrus trees. Visitors might well be surprised by the sweet scent of orange blossoms as they wander through. The cloister around this garden features double arcades. This open-arcaded cloister is known as the cloister of King Dinis; it is one of the largest medieval Cistercian cloisters in Europe. 

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   Monastery of Alcobaça: The Gothic octagonal fountain house and the Cloister of King Dinis, also named the Claustro do Silêncio. This Cloister of Silence was built in the 14th century in the Gothic Cistercian style, recognisable by its pointed arches. In the 16th century, an additional storey was built in the Manueline style, the ornate Portuguese Late Gothic style. The serene courtyard garden is beautifully planted with orange trees. The monastery was built between 1178 and 1223, and over the subsequent centuries, the complex was embellished many times.

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   Monastery of Alcobaça: The lavabo is the water basin, which is richly decorated with beautiful bas-reliefs in the Renaissance style. The hexagonal basin is situated in the Gothic fountain house, where the monks would wash their hands before entering the adjacent refectory, where they ate their meals. The basin was supplied with fresh water via an ingenious underground system from a tributary of the Alcoa River. The lavabo is situated in the Claustro do Silêncio, the Cloister of Silence. Almost every medieval monasteriy features a lavabo.

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    Monastery of Alcobaça: The cloister of King Dinis is also known as the Claustro do Silêncio (Cloister of Silence). This renowned cloister is the heart of the monastic life. For the monks, it was a place for meditation and reading. The first architects of the monastery are unknown; its design was based on the famous Clairvaux Abbey in France. The Monastery of Alcobaça was continuously expanded and embellished in a variety of architectural styles. The Portuguese name of  this amazing building is Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaça. It is one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal.

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    Monastery of Alcobaça: The magnificent ribbed vault of one of the semicircular radiating chapels along the ambulatory. The ribs of the vault converge at a keystone bearing the coat of arms of Portugal. The ambulatory curves elegantly behind the high altar, providing access to nine radiating chapels. The Early Gothic passageway is a true medieval masterpiece; its sheer simplicity reflects the austere lifestyle and sublime use of light characteristic of the Cistercian monks. These chapels were built between 1178 and 1252.

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    Monastery of Alcobaça: The impressive chimney of the kitchen. This spacious room is fully tiled. The edges of the tiling are finished with typical Portuguese azulejos in a beautiful cobalt blue colour. The enormous fireplace is supported by eight wrought iron columns. The water basin in the kitchen is an example of the ingenuity of the monks. The basin contained water brought by a system of three canals; the water came from a tributary of the River Alcoa. The channels supplied fresh running water and also fresh fish.

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    Monastery of Alcobaça: The huge chimney in the centre of the kitchen. The interior walls of the kitchen and the chimney are completely covered in white glazed tiles. The daylight is beautifully reflected in these stunning white azulejos. It is said that in this large kitchen an ox could be spit-roasted. The kitchen is situated between the Monks' Room (Sala dos Mongos) and the refectory, where the monks gathered for their meals and one of them would read aloud from the Bible. The Monastery of Alcobaça was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1989.