MONASTERY OF SÃO VICENTE DE FORA

Description

Essentials about the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in brief

The Monastery of São Vicente de Fora, located just outside the city center of Lisbon in the Vicente district, is one of the most beautiful sacred buildings in Portugal and is worth a visit not only for church and monastery fans. The monastery is also the seat of the Cardinal of Lisbon and serves as the “Panteão da Casa de Bragança” (Pantheon of the House of Braganza) as the burial place for members of the royal family and the patriarchs of Portugal.

The history of the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora

King Alfonso I had an Augustinian monastery built outside the city walls in 1147. Since the monastery was dedicated to St. Vincent of Zaragoza, explains the name “St. Vincent Outside the Walls”. The monastery and its church acquired their present appearance during the reign of Philip II, King of Spain, who was also Dom Filipe I of Portugal. Due to severe damage during the Great Earthquake of 1755, it took almost a full century before restoration work on the monastery could be completed.

The architecure of the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora

The Church and Monastery of São Vicente de Fora are built in Manueline style, originally Romanesque, and represent one of the most beautiful monastic complexes of the Iberian Peninsula. The architecture is extremely worth seeing for the austerity of its lines. Above all, the two cloisters are of extraordinary beauty.

The interior of the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora

Inside the monastery is decorated with magnificent white marble. In many rooms there are beautiful, well-preserved ceiling paintings. The choir stalls are made of the finest tropical woods and more than 14,000 azulejos, the famous blue and white Portuguese tiles, decorate the church and monastery. Visitors should take the time to look at the azulejos a little closer. From the roof, by the way, you have a beautiful view over the Alfama, the Tagus River and the church Igreja de Santa Engrácia, which is only a stone’s throw away.