Copyright © Silver Coast Life 2010 - 2011
Find us on
Powered by:
Alcobaça
- magnificent architecture
Alcobaça is a quiet agricultural town on the Silver Coast which has the distinction of being the site of one of Portugal's most famous historial buildings. The magnificent gothic abbey of Alcobaça is the country's largest church and a building so important it is one of the country’s seven Unesco World Heritage sites.
Work on the Mosteiro de Santa Maria started in the 12th century when the king, Dom Afonso Henriques, ordered it to be built to give thanks for winning a battle against the Moors at Santarém. It took over 100 years to complete and is now regarded as the finest – and largest - example of Cistercian architecture in Europe.
The story of Dom Pedro and his lover Inês de Castro is one of Portugal's most enduring love stories, an episode from history which has become Portugal's Romeo and Juliet.
Dom Pedro was just 16 when he was forced by his father King Afonso IV to marry Constança, the princess of Castile. When his bride arrived Pedro fell in love - not with her but with one of the ladies in waiting, a beautiful blonde girl called Inês de Castro.
Affair
They soon began an affair which scandalised the court and Inês was sent into exile in a convent in Coimbra. Pedro was undeterred and continued the affair, sending notes into the convent on small wooden boats that he floated down a water duct.
When his wife died five years later Pedro moved his lover into a palace where they lived for the next ten years and where their four children were born. His repeated requests for permission to marry her were turned down by his father and the Royal Court, who for political reasons wanted Inês out of the way.
Assassination
In 1355, while Pedro was away on a hunting trip, his father authorised her assassination. Three Royal Councillors went to Coimbra, found her beside a fountain on the estate and decapitated her in front of one of the children.
Pedro was beside himself with grief and formed an army to wage a bitter war against his father for two years until they were reconciled just before his father's death. It was then Pedro took his real revenge.
Revenge
Two of the assassins were tracked down and brought to him and he watched as they were killed by having their hearts pulled out of their living bodies. He then ordered the body of Inês to be exhumed and brought to Alcobaça Abbey for her posthumous coronation as queen. It is said that members of Court were forced to kiss her decomposed hand.
She was laid in a tomb in the abbey and when Pedro died in 1367 he was placed opposite her with their feet towards each other so that when they awoke on judgement day they would be facing each other. On both tombs is the inscription Até ao fim do mundo (until the end of the world).
Dom Pedro was just 16 when he was forced by his father King Afonso IV to marry Constança, the princess of Castile. When his bride arrived Pedro fell in love - not with her but with one of the ladies in waiting, a beautiful blonde girl called Inês de Castro.
Affair
They soon began an affair which scandalised the court and Inês was sent into exile in a convent in Coimbra. Pedro was undeterred and continued the affair, sending notes into the convent on small wooden boats that he floated down a water duct.
When his wife died five years later Pedro moved his lover into a palace where they lived for the next ten years and where their four children were born. His repeated requests for permission to marry her were turned down by his father and the Royal Court, who for political reasons wanted Inês out of the way.
Assassination
In 1355, while Pedro was away on a hunting trip, his father authorised her assassination. Three Royal Councillors went to Coimbra, found her beside a fountain on the estate and decapitated her in front of one of the children.
Pedro was beside himself with grief and formed an army to wage a bitter war against his father for two years until they were reconciled just before his father's death. It was then Pedro took his real revenge.
Revenge
Two of the assassins were tracked down and brought to him and he watched as they were killed by having their hearts pulled out of their living bodies. He then ordered the body of Inês to be exhumed and brought to Alcobaça Abbey for her posthumous coronation as queen. It is said that members of Court were forced to kiss her decomposed hand.
She was laid in a tomb in the abbey and when Pedro died in 1367 he was placed opposite her with their feet towards each other so that when they awoke on judgement day they would be facing each other. On both tombs is the inscription Até ao fim do mundo (until the end of the world).
Portugal's Romeo
and Juliet
Culture
At its height the abbey was home to close on a thousand monks who had a profound effect on Portuguese culture and agriculture. The area in which they farmed is still one of the most productive in the country thanks to their advanced agricultural methods. The monks also established Portugal’s first public school and provided much of the money and materials for the establishment of Lisbon University, which later moved to Coimbra. One of the most memorable parts of the building are the tombs of Dom Pedro and Inês de Castro, two lovers whose story is among the most famous and romantic in Portugal (see sidebar).
At its height the abbey was home to close on a thousand monks who had a profound effect on Portuguese culture and agriculture. The area in which they farmed is still one of the most productive in the country thanks to their advanced agricultural methods. The monks also established Portugal’s first public school and provided much of the money and materials for the establishment of Lisbon University, which later moved to Coimbra. One of the most memorable parts of the building are the tombs of Dom Pedro and Inês de Castro, two lovers whose story is among the most famous and romantic in Portugal (see sidebar).
The buildings include five cloisters, one of which is the austere and forbidding Cloister of Silence, seven dormitories, a library and a huge kitchen. As well as a fireplace big enough to roast an ox in the monks also had a stream that was diverted to flow through the kitchen and provide both fresh water and fish.
Agriculture
The town of Alcobaça has around 15,000 inhabitants. The local economy is mostly based on farming with fruit and pig farms being among the most prominent. There is also a strong crafts tradition and this is a good area for shopping for pottery, ceramics, woven baskets and embroidered textiles.
The best view of the town and the abbey is from the ruins of Alcobaça castle, once the site of Visigoth defences but now reduced to rubble. From here there are fine views of the town, surrounding hills and towards the coast at São Martinho de Porto.
Agriculture
The town of Alcobaça has around 15,000 inhabitants. The local economy is mostly based on farming with fruit and pig farms being among the most prominent. There is also a strong crafts tradition and this is a good area for shopping for pottery, ceramics, woven baskets and embroidered textiles.
The best view of the town and the abbey is from the ruins of Alcobaça castle, once the site of Visigoth defences but now reduced to rubble. From here there are fine views of the town, surrounding hills and towards the coast at São Martinho de Porto.
