Alcobaça Monastery
Alcobaça Monastery | |
---|---|
Native name Archdiocese of Lisbon | |
Architectural style(s) | Romano-Gothic, Manueline, Mannerism, Baroque |
Europe and North America | |
Portuguese National Monument | |
Type | Non-movable |
Criteria | National Monument |
Designated | 10 January 1907 |
Reference no. | IPA.00004719 |
The Alcobaça Monastery or Alcobasa Monastery (
The
The church and monastery were the first
History
The Alcobaça Monastery is one of the first buildings associated with the
Construction began in 1178, some 25 years after the first Cistercian monks settled in the
The monks dedicated their lives to religious meditation, creating illuminated manuscripts in a scriptorium. The monks from the monastery produced an early authoritative history on Portugal in a series of books. The library at Alcobaça was one of the largest Portuguese medieval libraries, but was pillaged by the invading French in 1810, and many items were stolen in an anti-clerical riot in 1834, when the religious orders in Portugal were dissolved. The remnants of the monastery library, including hundreds of medieval manuscripts, are kept today in the Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal, Portugal's national library in Lisbon.
During the Middle Ages, the monastery quickly became a powerful and influential presence within the kingdom of Portugal. The monastery owned and developed extensive agriculture areas, and the abbot exerted influence over a large area. A public school was opened in 1269. The importance of the monastery can be measured by the fact that many monarchs were buried here in the 13th and 14th centuries. Kings
During the reign of Manuel I, a second floor was added to the cloister and a new sacristy was built, following the characteristic Portuguese late Gothic style known as "Manueline". The monastery was further enlarged in the 18th century, with the addition of a new cloister and towers to the church, although the medieval structure was mostly preserved. In the Baroque period, the monks were famous for their clay sculptures, many of them are still inside the monastery. Elaborate tiles and altarpieces completed the decoration of the church.
The great 1755 Lisbon earthquake did not cause significant damage to the monastery, although part of the sacristy and some smaller buildings were destroyed. Far greater damage was caused by invading French troops in the first years of the 19th century during the Peninsular War, itself a part of the Napoleonic Wars. In addition to looting the library, they robbed the tombs and stole and burnt part of the inner decoration of the church. In 1834, with the dissolution of the monasteries in Portugal, the last monks left the monastery.
Alcobaça Monastery was classified as a National Monument on January 1, 1907, and included in the special protection zone on August 16, 1957.[7]
Art and architecture
The Alcobaça Monastery was built following an early
Exterior
The main façade of the monastery has two plain-style wings with the church in the middle. The façade of the church is a mix of styles: the portal and the
of the apse, a typical feature of Gothic architecture.Interior of the church
The first architect(s) of the church, most probably of French origin, followed the design of the
Columns and walls are devoid of decoration, as required in Cistercian churches, and the interior is very brightly illuminated by rows of windows on the walls and rose windows on the main façade and transept arms. The main chapel, like that of Clairvaux, is surrounded by a gallery (ambulatory) and has a series of radiating chapels. The aisles are covered by simple Gothic vaulting.
Royal tombs
In the transept of the church are located the tombs of
This pair of royal tombs in Alcobaça, of unknown authorship, are among the best works of Gothic sculpture in Portugal. The tombs are supported by lions, in the case of the king, and half-men half-beasts, in the case of Ines, and both carry the recumbent figures of the deceased assisted by a group of angels. The sides of Pedro's tomb are magnificently decorated with reliefs showing scenes from
Chapel of Saint Bernard
This chapel, located in the south side of the transept, has a sculptural group depicting the "Death of Saint Bernard", one of the best works authored by 17th-century Alcobaça monks. In both sides of the chapel are buried Kings Afonso II and Afonso III.
Royal Pantheon
From the right arm of the transept, one reaches the Royal Pantheon, a room built in the end of the 18th century in
The Royal Pantheon has the 13th-century tombs of two queens of Portugal, Urraca of Castile and Beatrix of Castile, married respectively to Kings Afonso II and Afonso III. There are smaller tombs of unidentified princes. The most remarkable tomb is that of Queen Urraca (died in 1220), buried in a richly decorated late
Sacristy
From the ambulatory the
Room of the Kings
This room, located close to the entrance of the church, has a series of 17th–18th century statues representing the kings of Portugal. The walls are decorated with blue-white 18th century tiles that tell the history of the Monastery of Alcobaça, since its foundation by
Dormitory
The dormitory is a large Gothic room where the monks slept together; only the abbot was allowed to have his own room. In the 16th century the space was divided into individual cells. In the 1930s the cell walls were demolished.
Refectory
The refectory was the room in which the monks had their meals every day. While they ate, one of the monks read aloud passages of the Bible from a pulpit, which in Alcobaça is embedded into one of the walls. Access to the pulpit is through an arched gallery with a staircase. The pulpit is one of the most harmonious architectural structures of the monastery. Like the dormitory, the refectory has many pillars separating aisles and is covered by early gothic rib vaulting.
Cloister of Silence
The
Chapter House
This room, where the monks gathered to discuss the daily matters concerning the monastery, was the most important room after the church. Their daily gathering began by listening to the reading of a chapter from the
Kitchen
The kitchen of the monastery was built and covered with tiles in the mid-18th century. The central chimney is enormous, supported by eight iron columns. Water and fresh fish were diverted from the river Alcoa to the kitchen basin through a specially built canal.
See also
- Monastery of Batalha
- Monastery of Santa Cruz
- Alcobasa
- Azulejo
References
- ^ Viajonários (28 September 2022). "Alcobaça Monastery: Royal Pantheon and World Heritage Site". Viajonarios. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ISBN 9781839059124.
- ^ a b c Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Monastery of Alcobaça". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ^ "World Heritage - Monastery of Alcobaça". www.mosteiroalcobaca.gov.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ^ a b c "Space and Time - Monastery of Alcobaça". www.mosteiroalcobaca.gov.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ^ "Alcobaça Monastery | Alcobaça | Portugal | AFAR". www.afar.com. 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
- ^ "National Monument - Monastery of Alcobaça". www.mosteiroalcobaca.gov.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- (in Portuguese) Maria Augusta Pablo Trindade Ferreira. Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaça. ELO-IPPAR. 2nd edition, 1993.
- (in Portuguese) Mosteiro de Alcobaça, Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico (Portuguese Institute for Architectural Heritage)
- (in Portuguese) Mosteiro de Alcobaça / Real Abadia de Santa Maria de Alcobaça[permanent dead link] (PDF), Direcção Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (Portuguese General Bureau for National Buildings and Monuments)
External links
- Description of the Monastery of Alcobasa from UNESCO
- The Monastery of Alcobaça on Google Arts & Culture
- Adrian Fletcher’s Paradoxplace Alcobaça Pages
- Site about Alcobaça (photos)
- Virtual tour of the Monastery of Alcobasa
- ALCOBASA Y BATALHA DOS MONASTERIOS DE PORTUGAL
- Catarina Fernandes Barreira Monasterios cistercienses en Portugal no siglo XV: problemas alrededor de los scriptoria e bibliotecas
- Monasterio de Alcobasa: un ejemplo destacado de arquitectura gótica