Monastery of Batalha

In 2010 my wife and I went on a mini tour through almost half Portugal. We visited Leiria, Fátima, Batalha, Alcobaça, Nazaré, Caldas da Raínha, Sintra, Óbidos and Peniche. These were the best vacations we ever had, so far! In this trip we visited 3 UNESCO sites. The Monastery of Batalha was the first. Last week we went there again, now with our son!

Monastery of Batalha

The Monastery of Batalha (Portuguese: Mosteiro da Batalha), literally the Monastery of the Battle, is a Dominican convent in the civil parish of Batalha, in the district of Leiria, in the Centro Region region of Portugal. Originally, and officially known, as the Monastery of Saint Mary of the Victory (Portuguese: Mosteiro de Santa Maria da Vitória), it was erected in commemoration of the 1385 Battle of Aljubarrota, and would serve as the burial church of the 15th-Century Aviz dynasty of Portuguese royals. It is one of the best and original examples of Late Gothic architecture in Portugal, intermingled with the Manueline style. - in: wikipedia

Unfinished Chapels

As Capelas Imperfeitas (The Unfinished Chapels) remain as a testimony of the fact that the monastery was never actually finished. They form a separate octagonal structure tacked on the choir of the church (via a retrochoir) and only accessible from the outside. 

Unfinished Chapels

It was commissioned in 1437 by King Edward of Portugal ("Dom Duarte", d.1438) as a second royal mausoleum for himself and his descendants. But he and his queen Eleanor of Aragon are the only ones buried here (Eleanor died in exile in Toledo in 1445, her remains were only translated here in 1456) - in: wikipedia

Monastery of Batalha

This postcard was sent by José "PilotOne"

Manueline Arch

The Royal Cloister (Portuguese: Claustro Real) was not part of the original project. It was built under the architect Fernão de Évora between 1448 and 1477. Its sober outward appearance is in stark contrast with the Flamboyant Gothic style of the church. The carved tracery decoration in Gothic style (including quatrefoils, fleurs-de-lis and rosettes) by Huguet in the ambulatory forms a successful combination with the Manueline style in the arcade screens, added later by Mateus Fernandes. Two different patterns alternate, one with the cross of the Order of Christ, the other with armillaries. - in: wikipedia

Batalha Monastery and Statue of D. Nuno Álvares Pereira

This postcard was sent by Rita

D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, OCarm; 24 June 1360 – 1 November 1431) was a Portuguese general of great success who had a decisive role in the 1383-1385 Crisis that assured Portugal's independence from Castile. He later became a mystic and was beatified by Pope Benedict XV, in 1918, and canonised by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. - in: wikipedia