Alcobaca Monastery: Historical monastery founded by Portuguese first King (Part – 1)

By Asad Russel –

About the Alcobaca Monastery, Portugal:
In 1153 by the first Portuguese king was founded, in medieval Europe was one of the most prestigious and richest monasteries is the Cistercian Alcobaca Monastery in Portuguese language the Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaca. To adopt the Gothic style in Portugal this church was the first building and in the country still is the largest.

The history of the Alcobaca Monastery:
At Santarem in an important battle facing the Moors in March 1147, if God granted him victory he would build a great monastery that vowed the Afonso Henriques. The battle after winning and the first Portuguese king becoming, his promise kept Afonso. In 1153 at Alcobaca the Monastery of St. Mary he founded and to Bernard of Clairvaux gave it, the Crusades who had strongly promoted a Cistercian abbot.

Later that year St. Bernard died and came to Alcobaca soon monks of his order. For several decades in simple wooden houses lived the Cistercian monks while to be constructed for the monastery they waited. In 1178 was began the building work, in 1223 to occupy the monastery buildings they were able.

Who were the architects it’s still unknown, but of French origin were likely and on the Abbey of Clairvaux based their design, in 1115 by St. Bernard was founded, has not survived that abbey, to early Cistercian architecture an important witness making the Alcobaca Monastery. In 1252 was completed the church then fully Gothic building it was first and in Portugal of any style the largest church. The Gothic cloister was added by the King Dinis I in the late 13th century, as the Cloister of Silence poetically known.

To the Portuguese culture made significant contributions the monks of Alcobaca over the centuries. To their flock to give public lessons they were the first in 1269 and in a series of books the authoritative history on Portugal later they produced. In Portugal was one of the largest is the library at Alcobaca. In the 13th and 14th centuries were buried in Alcobaca Monastery many Portuguese monarchs which includes the Afonso I and Afonso II, and their queens, the King Pedro I and the Ines de Castro, his ill-fated mistress as well as.

For Manuel I during the reign, to the cloister was added a second floor and in the richly ornamental Manueline style was built a new sacristy. With the addition of new church towers and a new cloister in the 18th century was further enlarged the monastery. In the great 1755 earthquake major damage the monastery escaped. Lord Beckford visited this monastery in 1794 and later commented that, “In a very splendid manner living some 300 monks he found”. But was soon to end at Alcobaca Monastery the monastic life.

In the 1810 by the invading French troops the famous library looted, the tombs robbed and of the church of the inner decoration stolen and burnt some parts. Then were still remaining whatever items during an anti-clerical riot in 1834 later stolen, the riot accompanied in Portugal of monastic life the official dissolution and from Alcobaca of the last monks the departure. 

Will Continue………

Posted by : Unknown 10:43 PM Tags : Travel Destinations

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