Ho hum, another day, another UNESCO World Heritage site. After leaving Nazare, we drove less than an hour or so to Batalha to tour the Monastery of Santa Maria.
The parking ticket machine was broken, so we parked for free right near the monastery (aka the Batalha Monastery). Built from 1388-1533 to celebrate the victory over the Spanish (Castille) in the one-sided Battle of Aljubarrota (yes, I had to look up the spelling, and no I can NOT pronounce it!).
It’s a mix of Gothic style and Manueline decoration that is quite sprawling and well worth stopping at. Outside there is an equestrian statue of Nuno Alvares Pereira, the commander of the Portuguese forces in the battle. The whole exterior of the church is quite impressive, with gargoyles, carvings, and pinnacles.
The main entrance is an impressive set of carvings of the Jesus, the apostles, and six “lanes” of what Rick Steves aptly calls heavenly traffic. Winged angels, an angel band, evangelists, Biblical and secular kings, doctors of the Church, and female saints make up the six lanes.
Inside the Gothic church, the tall pillars hold up the ceiling and stained glass windows abound. The part we liked best was the Founders’ Chapel, featuring the double sarcophagus of King Joao I and Queen Philippa, who was English. They lie holding hands for all eternity. Alas, I could not get a good picture of this couple who really got Portugal’s two centuries of world leadership and enrichment of the country going.
Prince Henry the Navigator (and a prince of a guy) is buried there, along with several of his brothers.
Our next stop was the Royal cloister, featuring ornate carvings with shells, pearls, armillary spheres, rope, artichokes, and lotus flowers. The church also has a tomb of the unknown soldier from World War I, guarded by soldiers who stage a changing of the guard every hour.
Then, just outside of that is a second cloister, the cloister of King Afonso. A starker, less fancy cloister, it was built in the late 15th Century. It's a double decker cloister, so we enjoyed going upstairs.
Out back of the church are the Capelas Imperfeitas, the Unfinished Chapels. Haunting to walk through, it brings a peaceful feeling. King Duarte and his wife also lie holding hands, gazing up at the sky through ceiling-less chapels he start building. The older brother of Prince Henry, Duarte was smart enough to back Henry’s overseas explorations that brought Portugal untold wealth.
After touring, we ate a late lunch at a solid restaurant within sight of the Monastery. It was frequented by many local businesspeople, so we chose well.
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