The town where my parents live is part of the municipality of Batalha, therefore; it is only fitting that we visit the Monastery of Batalha when in Portugal. This building has amazed me from the first time I went to it as a little girl, only to take in its Gothic architectural detail and appreciate the hand carved stones and history of the location the older I got. The Monastery of Batalha was added in 1983 to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

History and Design: 

The Monastery of Batalha was built in honour of the Virgin Mary for the victory over the Castillians in the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385. This building was a promise that King João I had made to the Virgin Mary, originally naming it in her honour: Mosteiro de Santa Maria da Vitória. This monastery continued to be a project for the Portuguese monarchy for the next two centuries.  

Most of the credit of its design goes to the English architect Master Huguet. The Founders Chapel was created between 1426-1434, it is a large octagon space where the large medieval tomb of King João I and his wife, Queen Philippa of Lancaster are located right in the centre of the room. They lie under the vaulted 5 point star ceiling. The walls of this chapel also contain the tombs of their 4 sons and their wives. 

The Church is very narrow compared to how high it is. It has large stained glass windows that display the life of Jesus and Mary. The pillars in the church are not as detailed as we see in other parts of the monastery. Both sides of this church have sculptures of the 12 apostles. 

The Unfinished Chapels form a separate octagon structure next to the church. These chapels were ordered by King Edward of Portugal in 1437. This was to be a royal mausoleum for himself and his descendants but only him and his wife’s tombs are here. The chapels are a reminder that the Monastery of Batalha was never truly completed. Mateus Fernandes (another architect) altered Huguets designs creating seven hexagonal chapels around the larger octagon chapel. The design was originally built in Gothic style but was transformed into a Manueline style masterpiece. It is decorated in lacework’s of ropes, circles, spheres, angles, floral projections, and the saying ”Leauté faray tam yaserie’ (I will always be loyal) is embedded more then two hundred times in the arches and pillars of the chapels. 

Location:

Batalha contains about 15,000 people, it is locate in the district of Leiria: approximately 122km north of Lisbon, 24km west of Fátima, and 33km northeast of Nazaré. The town itself is small, but has been significant every since the building of the monastery.   Interesting fact: the main highway was moved to preserve the stone as the pollution was damaging it. Trees were also planted to help keep the pollution down. 

When Visiting: 

The monastery is basically what there is to do and see in Batalha. Although there are places to stay, I would recommend staying in nearby cities like Fátima or Nazaré and make Batalha a pit stop from these locations. There are also restaurants and coffee shops where you can eat and/or drink that are situated around the Monastery.   There is an admission cost to entering the Monastery of Batalha, it cost an adult 6€. Sundays the admission cost is waved until 2pm.  

If travelling to Batalha on a tour (most tours that go to Fátima go through Batalha) make sure it also stops at the Sensory Ecopark of Pia do Urso. Or if your travelling on your own, its about a 25 min drive – easy pit stop when going from Batalha to Fátima or vice versa.  Its a little re-made town and nature walk that has a lot of sensory activities to do as well! Its worth the stop, very relaxing to go through and its FREE!!! 

The Monastery of Batalha is a must see when visiting Portugal and is accessible through many different routes. There are several day trip tours out of Lisbon that incorporate the Monastery of Batalha. Take a detour on one of your adventures in central Portugal to be able to see this masterpiece. The detail (completed by hand) is beyond belief considering today man would only be able to complete this by machinery. This is a perfect location if you enjoy history and architecture.

Until next time and remember ~ Live, laugh e amar! 🙂