Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
At the Battle of Aljubarrota, 6500 Portuguese, commanded by Dom Nuno Álvares Pereira
and supported by a few hundred English soldiers, repulsed a 30,000-strong force of Juan I
of Castile, who had come claiming the throne of João d'Avis.
João called on the Virgin Mary for help and vowed to build a superb abbey in return for
victory. Three years later he made good on his promise, as work began on the Dominican
abbey.
Exterior
The glorious ochre-limestone building bristles with pinnacles and parapets, flying but-
tresses and balustrades, and late-Gothic carved windows, as well as octagonal chapels and
massive columns. The spectacular western doorway's layered arches pack in apostles, an-
gels, saints and prophets, all topped by Christ and the Evangelists.
Interior
The vast, vaulted Gothic interior is plain, long and high, warmed by light from the deep-
hued stained-glass windows. To the right as you enter is the intricate Capela do Fundador
(Founder's Chapel), an achingly beautiful, lofty, star-vaulted square room lit by an octa-
gonal lantern. In the centre is the joint tomb of João I and his English wife, Philippa of
Lancaster, whose marriage in 1387 cemented the alliance that still exists between Portugal
and England. The tombs of their four youngest sons line the south wall of the chapel, in-
cluding that of Henry the Navigator (second from the right).
Claustro Real
Afonso Domingues, master of works during the late 1380s, built the fabulous Claustro
Real (Royal Cloisters) in a restrained Gothic style, but it's the later Manueline embellish-
ments by the great Diogo de Boitac that really take your breath away. Every arch is a
tangle of detailed stone carvings of Manueline symbols, such as armillary spheres and
crosses of the Order of Christ, entwined with writhing vegetation, exotic flowers and mar-
ine motifs - ropes, pearls and shells. Three graceful cypresses echo the shape of the Goth-
ic spires atop the adjacent chapter house.
Claustro de Dom Afonso V
Anything would seem austere after the Claustro Real, but the simple Gothic Claustro de
Dom Afonso V is like being plunged into cold water - sobering you up after all that fren-
zied decadence. Between the two cloisters is a modern exhibition and audiovisual present-
ation.
Sala do Capítulo
To the east of the Claustro Real is the early-15th-century chapterhouse, containing a beau-
tiful 16th-century stained-glass window. The huge vault was considered so outrageously
