Page 171 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Portugal

Must See

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1 The façade is a richly decorated
18th-century addition, with marble
Central nave The Gothic portal and statues of St Benedict and St Bernard
rose window on this façade flanking the main doorway of the church.
are the only original
13th-century elements. 2 The vaulted roof and soaring columns of
the central nave create an impression of
harmony and austere simplicity.
3 The tomb of Pedro I, with his statue
attended by angels, lies opposite that of
his mistress, Inês de Castro. Popular legend
says that the king insisted that they face
each other so that his first sight on
Judgement Day would be of her.

THE MURDER OF INÊS
DE CASTRO
Reasons of state obliged Pedro,
son and heir of Afonso IV, to marry
Costanza, Infanta of Castile. On her
death, Pedro went to live with Inês
de Castro, a lady at court with whom
he had fallen in love, in Coimbra.
Persuaded that Inês’s family was
dangerous, Afonso IV had her
murdered on 7 January 1355. On
Afonso’s death, Pedro took revenge
on two of the killers by having their
Main
entrance hearts torn out.
Claiming that he
In the Sala dos Reis, tiles from the had been married
18th century depict the founding to Inês, Pedro
of the abbey and statues of had her corpse
Portuguese kings adorn the walls. exhumed and
crowned.

The grand exterior and INÊS DE
interior of the Mosteiro de CASTRO
Santa Maria de Alcobaça
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