Portugal Pictures

portugal pictures, batalha

Mosteiro da Batalha or Battle Abbey.

This 1434 abbey almost equal to Jeronimos in Lisbon for outrageous Manueline flourishes, is also known as Mosteiro de Santa Maria da Vitoria, is a World Heritage site.
The outside is staggeringly ornate though the main nave inside is plain. The cloisters get the Manueline treatment however and are impressively ornate, but the roofless Capelas Imperfeitas [unfinished chapels] are the stars of the show. These are a mass of elaborate, asymmetric detailing made all the more exciting by being open to the heavens.

The abbey was built as result of a battle vow by Dom Joao of Avis when he went up against 30,000 Spanish troops with a mere 6,500 of his own men plus a few hundred English soldiers. Thanks to the Virgin Mary, Dom Joao won, of course.

The other two spectacular religious institutions in the area, the monastery of Alcobaca and the original home of the Knights Templar - the Convent of Christ at Tomar - make an excellent threesome travel target.
The Fatima pilgrimage site is also nearby and not unlike Lourdes in its religious significance, but has nothing monumental for regular tourists.

Portugal Pictures: Portugal Beaches | Lisbon

Travel Guides: Portugal Guide | Lisbon Travel Guide | Map | Europe Map | Tours