Alcobaça Monastery

You can view my images of Alcobaça Monastery here.  These images were taken with a Canon EF 16-35 f/4 L IS lens. 

The Royal Monastery in Alcobaça was founded by the first Portuguese King,  Afonso Henriques in 1153 and it maintained a close association with the Kings of Portugal throughout the history of the Portuguese Monarchy. 

The church and monastery were the first Gothic buildings in Portugal, and together with the Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, it is one of the most important of the mediaeval monasteries in Portugal.  

In the transept of the church are located the tombs of King Pedro I and his lover, Inês de Castro.  Inês was assassinated in 1355 under the orders of Pedro’s father, King Afonso IV.  After becoming King, Pedro declared that he had secretly married Inês and ordered the remains of his beloved Inês to be transferred from the Monastery of Santa Clara in Coimbra to her tomb in Alcobaça and,  according to a popular legend, crowned her as Queen of Portugal and ordered court members pay her homage by kissing her decomposing hand. 

Due to its artistic and historical importance, the Monastery was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1989.