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Batalha travel guide »
A small town amidst the hills of the Leiria area, Batalha only became a place of any significance upon the building of its magnificent monastery, now honoured with...
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6 Best Things to Do in Batalha
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Batalha Monastery The Mosteiro de Batalha (Battle Abbey) was built to celebrate the important military victory of the Battle of Aljubarrota of 1385 in which Spanish forces were driven back. And celebrate they did! To describe the monastery as impressive would be somewhat of an understatement. It is on a par with the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos in Belém for both the scale and style. Like Jerónimos, Batalha features many Manueline style flourishes, but at the core is one of the best examples of Gothic architecture...
Leiria Castle Luis SantosImpressive 12th century castle overlooking the town. The castle was built to defend against reconquest by the Moors, and this did indeed happen on 2 occasions. The castle also contains a 15th century palace within its walls
3. Sé de Leiria
Leiria's 16th century cathedral (Sé de Leiria) lies just beyond the old city walls in a small square. It was constructed between 1559 and 1574, during the reign of Dom João III to designs by architect Afonso Alvares.
The exterior styling is of the fairly austere Mannerist school, although the interior, with its barrel vaulted roof is quite lavish.
One of the notable features of the cathedral is the absence of a bell tower. There is one, but it is actually not attached to the main cathedral. Whilst this was rebuilt in the Baroque style following damage in the...
Chapel of Apparitions - Fatima Petr Adam Dohnálek | BY-SAThe shrine of Fatima has two Basilicas and attracts millions of Catholic pilgrims annually. At the heart of the Sanctuary complex, and the focal point for most visitors to Fatima, is the Chapel of the Apparitions, built on the exact spot where, between 13th May and 13th October 1917 three peasant children witnessed a series of apparitions of the Virgin Mary, who spoke to the children and conveyed messages of the need for the conversion of Russia and the need for acts of penance throughout the world. She requested that a chapel be built on the site,...
Sanctuary of Fátima Can Stock Photo Inc. / LianeMThe Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima (Santuário de Fátima) is one of the world’s largest Catholic pilgrimage sites, attracting between 4 and 5 million visitors every year. Here, between 13th May and 13th October 1917, three shepherd children are believed to have witnessed six apparitions of the Virgin Mary, who imparted various messages and predictions about the future. During the last of these apparitions it is said that around 50,000 observers witnessed the sun moving around in the sky in a way which defied the laws of cosmology.
Among the various buildings...
Casa de Lucia Between 13th May and 13th October 1917, three local shepherd children living near Fátima are said to have witnessed apparitions of the Virgin Mary. The Sanctuary in Fatima is now a leading pilgrimage site for Catholics from around the world and attracts between 4 and 5 million visitors each year. The eldest of these three children, Lucia dos Santos, lived as a Carmelite nun until 2005, devoting her life to prayer and sacrifice.
The house where Lucia was born and lived at the time of the apparitions is located in the...