By the time we started the tour, all luncheon lamentations had been forgotten, for we were completely mesmerized by the grandeur of the Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaça.
From the outside, the structure certainly looks somber and austere, but inside is a treasure throve of architectural surprises.
The church was founded by the first Portuguese king, Alfonso Henriques in 1153. This, and the adjacent monastery, were the first Gothic structures in Portugal. The church was planned to be (and still is) the largest church in the country and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1989.
Its construction was in fulfillment of a promise made by Alfonso that he would build a great church if God would grant him victory against the Moors in Santarem. He also gave the monastery to his cousin, Bernard of Clairvaux, a Cistercian abbot who had strongly promoted the crusades. When the abbot died, his order moved their base to Alcobaça and became a significant part of the community. The Cistercians were the first to give public teachings and later even produced a series of books on Portuguese history.
A second floor was added to the monastery and a sacristy was built in the Manueline style during the reign of Manuel I. It was further enlarged in the 18th century with the addition of another cloister and more church towers.
During the tour, we visited the church, the main chapel, and the other chapels radiating from the ambulatory. There was so much to see and absorb. Among those were:
The Chapel of St. Bernard, where Kings Alfonso II and Alfonso III are buried
The Royal Pantheon containing the ornate tombs of the Queens of Portugal, as well as smaller tombs of unidentified princes
The Sacristy, which features an elaborate Manueline door and a wooden niche housing statues and relics of Cistercian monks called "Mirror of Heaven"
The Room of the Kings with 17th and 18th century statues representing the Portuguese rulers
The Dormitory, where the monks slept
The Refectory, where the monks had their meals while one of them read Bible passages from a pulpit embedded on one of the walls
The Chapter House, where the monks had their meetings
The Scriptorium, where the monks copied manuscripts
The Cloister of Silence with the Gothic Fountain Hall where the monks meditated
The huge Kitchen with a massive chimney big enough to simultaneously spit-roast eight oxen and with large sinks equipped with faucets (very advanced in those days)
The Courtyard with orange trees laden with fruits
It was said that at that time, the monastery held more than 1,000 monks and that they held Masses non-stop in shifts. This gave me a glimpse of a monk’s life in the past centuries, and to be honest, if I were to live in a place like this, in a quiet town like this, and with a community of fellow religious brethren sharing a contemplative and spiritual life like this on a daily basis, I could be one of them.
Apart from the historical and religious elements of this place, there is also a romantic element, albeit a most tragic one. In the transept of the church are located the tombs of King Pedro I and his mistress, Ines de Castro. Their story rivals the Romeo and Juliet tale of Verona, but since theirs was nestled in real-life events, their tale eclipses Shakespeare’s fiction.
“They met when Pedro was forced to marry the young Constanza of Castille in 1339. Her lady-in-waiting was Inês, daughter of a Castilian aristocrat. Pedro fell in love with Inês and took her as his mistress. After Constanza died in 1349, Pedro refused to remarry and continued to be devoted to Inês, with whom he had several children.
Pedro recognized all his children with Inês and favored the Castilians at court, leading Pedro's father, King Alfonso IV, to regard her as a threat to his kingdom. So in 1355, the king had her murdered.
Two years later, Alfonso IV died and Pedro became king. King Pedro I immediately declared that he had married Inês in a secret ceremony in Bragança, making her the rightful queen.
According to legend, the bereaved king then took his gruesome revenge - he exhumed Inês' body, presented the corpse at court and ordered all his courtiers to pay homage to her decomposed hand.”
Today, their tombs face each other so that come Judgment Day, the first sight they will have is of each other. Such a heart-rending end to an ill-fated love!
But casting the romance aside, these tombs are one of the greatest pieces of sculpture from 14th-century Portugal. Both have carved effigies assisted by angels. The king’s tomb is supported by lions, while Ines’ is supported by half-men, half-beast creatures. The sides of Ines’ tomb are decorated with bas reliefs depicting the life of Christ, the Crucifixion, and the Last Judgment, while the sides of Pedro’s tomb are decorated with episodes from the life of St. Bartholomew, as well as scenes from his life with Ines. Also carved there is a promise that they will be together until the end of the world (até ao fim do mundo).
Sigh! I had fallen in love with the departed king right then.
Photo Credits:
famouswonders.com, visitarportugal.pt, letsvisit.pt, portugalupclose.com, thegeographicalcure.com
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