Consecrated in 1252, the church is an outstanding example of Portuguese Gothic architecture. Construction probably began in 1178, but the exact date of completion is unknown. The church is shaped like a Latin cross (a symbol of Christianity) and consists of a nave and a transept, which contains the tombs of Dom Pedro and Dom Inês de Castro.

The nave is divided into three parts: the central nave and the side aisles, which served merely as passageways. Construction began with the transept, which consists of nine radially arranged chapels with a trapezoidal floor plan, connected to each other and to the transept by an ambulatory and covered by barrel vaults.

Light enters through the large rose window, the two side bays of the façade, the narrow slits in the side walls, as well as the rose windows and large windows at both ends of the transept and the tall windows in the transept.

The northern transept provided direct access to the monks' dormitory of the adjacent monastery. At the opposite end of the transept, beneath a large rose window and two large windows, the door to the monks' cemetery, commonly called the "Gate of the Dead," still stands today.

The church contains the tombs of the early Portuguese kings Afonso II (1185–1123; tomb from 1224) and Afonso III (1210–1279). They are located on either side of the Chapel of St. Bernard (containing the depiction of his death) in the south transept.
mosteiroalcobaca.gov.pt/pt/index.php

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Noname

August 21, 2025

In the eastern aisle of the church, in an adjoining room, eight additional sarcophagi are located, in which Beatriz, the wife of Afonso III, and three of her children were buried. One sarcophagus housed the first wife of Afonso II, Dona Urraca. The history of the other sarcophagi is unknown. The sarcophagi are now empty and were resealed between 1996 and 2000. The adjoining building in which they are now housed was built as a result of repairs after the great flood of 1772. Previously, the sarcophagi stood in the south transept from the 16th century onwards, and before that, presumably in the nave.

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Noname

August 21, 2025

The medieval sacristy, measuring just over 100 m² and located at the end of the northern side of the transept, was replaced during the reign of King Manuel I (1495–1521) by a sacristy of approximately 250 m², adjacent to an atrium on the southeast side of the ambulatory. This sacristy, along with the chapel of Senhor dos Passos, was built at the same time as the construction of the chapel. Like the chapel itself, it was destroyed in the earthquake of 1755. During the reconstruction, the Manueline portals were preserved, one of the few remaining elements of this style in Alcobaça. At the end of the sacristy is the Chapel of the Relics.
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kloster_Alcoba%C3%A7a

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Location: Alcobaça, Leiria, Portugal

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