☰Alentejo
Churches
The Basílica da Estrela in Lisbon is a huge baroque/neoclassical church with a most impressive dome. It was built by order of Queen Maria I of Portugal to celebrate the birth of her first (and only) son, José, Prince of Brazil. It is perhaps no coincidence that the styling is similar to the National Palace in Mafra as this was built by her father, João V, to celebrate the birth of his own first child.
The architects were Mateus Vicente de Oliveira and Reinaldo Manuel de Sousa whose other work included the...
Completed in 1739, this proto-Baroque style features a distinctive façade of azulejo tilework. Inside is a retable by the Italian artist Nicolau Nasoni
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...
Rafael G Fernandes
The Santuário do Bom Jesus do Monte is located in Tenões, just outside Braga. It is apparently Portugal's most photographed church and there are a host of reasons for this.
Perhaps the most obvious is the incredible Baroque stairway that leads up to the hilltop church. The hill is 116 metres (381 feet) high and there are in the region of 580 steps which zig-zag to the top. Work began in the early 1720s and to call it a stairway is not really doing it justice. As the stairs ascend the mount there are a number of landings, on each of these are grottoes, fountains, allegorical statues...
This former Knights Templar stronghold dates back to the 12th century. During the 15th and 16th centuries the monastery benefited from several Manueline additions including cloisters and the stunning chapterhouse window.
Set atop a baroque staircase with 686 steps is the shrine and rococo church. To either side of the staircase is dense woodland with furtherr pathways and shrines
The monastery of Santa Maria de Alcobaça is another UNESCO World Heritage site. This medieval monastery was the first to be built in the Gothic style in Portugal. Consists of many later additions and a a real insight into monastic life at the time.
The Church of Santa Engracia is one of Lisbon's finest religious buildings. Located close to the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in the Alfama district, the white dome rises high above the surrounding jumble of cobbled streets.
The current building dates back to the 17th century although there had been previous churches on the site for around 100 years. As with the National Pantheon these churches were dedicated to Santa Engrácia, a 4th century martyr from Braga. Work began on the present day structure in 1681 after the...
Imposing 17th century monastery overlooking Lisbon. Built in the Mannerist style the monastery's Pantheon contains the tombs of the House of Braganza.
Built in the Baroque and neoclassical style the enormous palace / monastery dwarfs the town of Mafra. At the time of its construction in the 18th century this was one of the largest buildings in Europe
Albufeira
Cascais
