Alcobaça Monastery
| Alcobaça Monastery | |
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Native name Portuguese: Mosteiro de Alcobaça |
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Façade of the Monastery of Alcobaça. The portal and rose window of the church are original gothic (early 13th century), while the towers are baroque (18th century).
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| Location | Alcobaça, Portugal |
| Coordinates | 39°32′54″N 8°58′48″W / 39.54833°N 8.98000°WCoordinates: 39°32′54″N 8°58′48″W / 39.54833°N 8.98000°W |
| Architectural style(s) | church |
| Official name: Alcobaça Monastery | |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, iv |
| Designated | 1997 (13th session) |
| Reference no. | 505 |
| State Party | Portugal |
| Region | Europe and North America |
The Alcobaça Monastery (Portuguese: Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaça) is a Roman Catholic church located in the town of Alcobaça, in Oeste Subregion. The monastery was founded in the medieval period by the first Portuguese King, Afonso Henriques, in 1153, and maintained a close association with the Kings of Portugal throughout its history.
The church and monastery were the first Gothic buildings in Portugal, and, together with the Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, it was one of the most important of the mediaeval monasteries in Portugal. Due to its artistic and historical importance, it was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1989.
The Alcobaça Monastery is one of the first foundations of the Cistercian Order in Portugal. It was founded in 1153 as a gift to Bernard of Clairvaux, shortly before his death, from the first Portuguese King, Afonso Henriques, to commemorate his victory over the Moors at Santarém in March 1147. The foundation of the monastery was part of the strategy by Afonso Henriques to consolidate his authority in the new kingdom and promote the colonisation of areas recently taken from Moorish hands during the Reconquista.
The building of the monastery began in 1178, some 25 years after the arrival of the Cistercian monks in the Alcobaça region. Initially, the monks lived in wooden houses, and only moved to the new stone monastery buildings in 1223. The church was completed in 1252. The finished church and monastery were the first truly Gothic buildings in Portugal, and the church was the largest in Portugal. The last touch in the mediaeval ensemble was given in the late 13th century, when King Dinis I ordered the construction of the Gothic cloister, the Cloister of Silence.
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