Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Twenty-year-old Prince Pedro met 17-year-old Inês, a Galician noblewoman, at his
wedding to Inês' cousin Constance. The politically motivated marriage was arranged
by Pedro's father, the king. Pedro dutifully fathered his son, the future king Fernando,
with Constance in Lisbon, while seeing Inês on the side in Coimbra. When Constance
died, Pedro settled in with Inês. Concerned about Spanish influence, Pedro's father,
Afonso IV, forbade their marriage. You guessed it—they were married secretly, and
the couple had four children. When King Afonso, fearing rivals to his (“legitimate”)
grandson's kingship, had Inês murdered, Prince Pedro went ballistic. He staged an
armed uprising (1355) against his father, only settled after much bloodshed.
Once he was crowned King Pedro I the Just (1357), the much-embellished legend
begins. Pedro summoned his enemies, exhumed Inês' body, dressed it in a bridal
gown, and put it on the throne, making the murderers kneel and kiss its putrid
rotting hand. (The legend continues...) Pedro then executed Inês' two murder-
ers—personally—by ripping out their hearts, eating them, and washing them down, it
is said, with a fine
vinho verde.
Now that's
amore.
Hall of Kings:
This hall features terra-cotta ceramic statues of most of Portugal's
kings. The last king portrayed is Joseph, who ruled when the earthquake hit in 1755. Since
then there has been no money for fancy statues. The next empty pedestal (to the left of
Joseph) is wider than the rest—in anticipation of the reign of Portugal's first queen, Mary
I, and her big fancy dress. The walls feature 18th-century tiles telling the story of the
12th-century conquest of the Moors and the building of the monastery (each with Latin
supertitles and Portuguese subtitles). In the last scene, the first king lays the monastery's
first stone.
The sculpture facing the entrance features a fantastical image of Afonso Henriques,
first king of Portugal and founder of this monastery, being crowned by Pope Innocent III
and St. Bernard. From here, steps lead to the...
