impossible love that ended tragically with the execution of Dona Ines ordered by Dom Pedro's father.
The Monastery of Alcobaca, with its square Cistercian plan, is one of the first Gothic monuments, even if its façade was later changed to Baroque.
The Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitoria in Batalha, also given world heritage status by UNESCO, is the confirmation of a promise for military victory, during the period when independence was at stake. Its intricate stonework evolved from the Gothic until its final version, the Manueline. This is a place where you must stop during your visit to Portugal, to see the Monastery's interiors illuminated by splendid stained glass windows.
Despite the existence of beautiful Renaissance churches, such as the Capela da Conceicao on Tomar or Mannerist ones, such as the Church of Sao Vicente de For a in Lisboa, it is undoubtedly the splendor of the Baroque and its transition to the Rococo that are seen in most of the temples and altars of Portugal, going from the Convento de Mafra, the Bom Jesus de Braga and the Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Remedios at Lamego (with their magnificent stairways) - both in Porto e Norte de Portugal, the region with the greatest density of religious monuments in Portugal - to the Episcopal palace of Castelo Branco, passing through the Igrejas dos Clerigos and Sao Francisco in Porto. It is impossible not to succumb to the perfection of the filed wooden objects, the silver altars, the sculptured pieces or the original panels of azulejos.
Apart from the neoclassicism and already in the 20th century, the magnificence of the Basilica of Fatima almost vanishes next the modest apparition chapel, a place of faith, where so many people meet for prayers.
In Portugal and on the occasion of the great religious festivities, this meeting of people almost transforms small churches into huge cathedrals. The patron saint and the renowned hospitality of any passerby will watch over you during your visit.