Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CostandHours:
Church—free, cloisters—€6 except free Sun until 14:00; open daily
April-Sept 9:00-18:30, Oct-March 9:00-17:30, last entry 30 minutes before closing; tel.
244-765-497.
Getting In:
On your way in to the church, buy a ticket for the cloisters (at the ticket
counter on your immediate left); the staff at the Founders' Chapel will ask to see it.
(See “Batalha's Monastery of Santa Maria” map,
here
.)
Self-GuidedTour:
Here's a walk through Batalha's most important sight. Start by
surveying the...
Exterior (1388-1533):
The Church of Our Lady of Victory (c. 1388-1550) is a
fancy late Gothic (pointed-arch) structure decorated with lacy Gothic tracery—stained-
glass windows, gargoyles, railings, and Flamboyant pinnacles representing the flickering
flames of the Holy Spirit. (Inside, we'll see even more elaborate Manueline-style orna-
mentation, added toward the end of its construction.) The church's limestone has mel-
lowed over time into a warm, rosy, golden color.
The equestrian statue outside the church is of Nuno Alvares Pereira, who commanded
the Portuguese in the battle and masterminded the victory over Spain. Before entering the
church, study the carvings on the main entrance (much-restored after serious damage in
the 1755 earthquake). Notice the six lanes of heavenly traffic in the archway over the en-
trance: inside track—angels with their modesty wings; second track—the angel band with
different instruments, including a hillbilly washboard; third—evangelists (those holding
