Alcobaça is known for its principal attraction, the Abbey of Santa
Maria.
Founded in 1153 to commemorate a victory against the Moors, it was finally
completed in 1223. It is now Portugal's largest church, and one of its
outstanding architectural monuments.
It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and its excellent state of
preservation makes it the finest example of Cistercian architecture in
Europe (it is also the continent's largest building of the Cistercian order).
Basically Gothic in structure, it contains five cloisters, seven
dormitories, a library, and a huge kitchen.
The abbey church is far more impressive inside than out. Much of its
original Gothic façade was altered in the 17th and 18th centuries, leaving
only the main doorway and rose window unchanged. The Baroque façade was
built in 1725 with two low towers and numerous statues. Inside, the nave is
a breathtaking 106m long, with huge pillars and truncated columns. Around
the choir are nine chapels and the high altar is surrounded by eight
columns.
In the transepts are the sumptuous, richly carved tombs of King Pedro I and
his beloved Inês de Castro, a testimony to one of Portugal's great love
stories. In the transept chapels are 17th-century painted terracotta figures of monks
and a fine 17th-century ceramic sculpture of the death of St. Bernard.
To the east of the ambulatory are two fine 16th-century Manueline doorways
adorned with exotic foliage and elaborate pinnacles. On the west side of
the south transept is the Sala dos Tumulos, a funerary chapel
containing a number of tombs. On the north side of the church are the
medieval monastic buildings.
A doorway in the north aisle leads into the beautiful two-storey
Cloisters of Silence, dating from the 14th century. On the north
side stands the Gothic fountain-house, while off the northeastern corner of
the cloisters is the 18th-century Sala dos Reis (King's Room), so
called because statues of practically all the kings of Portugal line the
walls. Below the statues are tiles from the 18th century depicting the
founding of the abbey.
Nearby is the grand kitchen, described by 18th-century traveler William
Beckford as "the most distinguished temple of gluttony in all Europe."
It is 18m (60ft) high, with a huge open fireplace and a fish-tank. The adjacent refectory, huge and vaulted, is where the monks ate in silence
while the Bible was read to them from the pulpit. Opposite the entrance is
a 14th-century bathroom embellished with a hexagonal fountain.
Besides this outstanding building, the small town of Alcobaça has little else that
stands out besides being a center of a porcelain and pottery industry.
There are many shops around the central square, and some factories welcome
visitors.
It is a good idea to combine Alcobaça with a visit to Batalha, 20Km (12.5 miles) to the north.
"Its size, the purity of its architectural style, the beauty of the materials and the care with which it was built make this a masterpiece of Cistercian Gothic art."
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