Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ish church with a forest of unadorned 12th-century arches. But make sure you visit the
rest too: the atmospheric refectory, vast dormitory and other spaces bring back the Cister-
cian life, which, according to sources, wasn't quite as austere here as it should have been.
History
The monastery was founded in 1153 by Afonso Henriques, first king of Portugal, honour-
ing a vow he'd made after the reconquest of Santarém in 1147. The monastery estate be-
came one of the richest and most powerful in the country, apparently housing 999 monks,
who held Mass nonstop in shifts.
In the 18th century however, it was the monks' growing decadence that became fam-
ous, thanks to the writings of 18th-century travellers such as William Beckford, who, des-
pite his own tendency to exaggerate, was shocked at the 'perpetual gormandising…the fat
waddling monks and sleek friars with wanton eyes…' The party ended in 1834 with the
dissolution of the religious orders.
Church
Much of the original facade was altered in the 17th and 18th centuries. However, once you
step inside, the combination of Gothic ambition and Cistercian austerity hits you immedi-
ately: the nave is a breathtaking 106m long but only 23m wide, with huge pillars and trun-
cated columns. It is modelled on the French abbey of Clairvaux.
Occupying the south and north transepts are two intricately carved 14th-century tombs,
the church's greatest possessions, which commemorate the tragic love story of Dom Pedro
and Dona Inês de Castro. Although the tombs themselves were badly damaged by rampa-
ging French troops in search of treasure in 1811, they still show extraordinary narrative
detail. The tombs are inscribed Até ao Fím do Mundo (until the end of the world) and, on
Pedro's orders, placed foot to foot so that, when the time comes, they can rise up and see
each other straight away.
Nearby, look at the remarkable clay figures in the chapel of St Bernard and the unusual
arching in the ambulatory.
Kitchen & Refectory
The grand kitchen, described by Beckford as 'the most distinguished temple of gluttony in
all Europe', owes its immense size to alterations carried out in the 18th century, including
a water channel built through the middle to divert wild fish right into the kitchen.
The adjacent refectory, huge and vaulted, is where the monks ate in silence while the
Bible was read to them from the pulpit, reached by a photogenic arched staircase. The
monks entered through a narrow door on their way to the refectory; those too fat to pass
through were forced to fast.
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