About Batalha Monastery
The town of Batalha was the site of one of the most famous battles in Portuguese history, the Battle of Aljubarrota on 14th August 1385. The Portuguese were successful in the battle against the powerful Castilian army and it consolidated King João I as the king of Portugal and was the beginning of a new dynastic empire. Before the battle had begun King João I promised that should he be successful then he would build a monastery in honour of Our Lady. He kept his word, and a couple of years later work began.
The construction took over 150 years, across various phases. This is the reason why one can find not only the Gothic style (for the most part) but also the Manualine style and some Renaissance touches. Several alterations were made to the initial project, resulting in a vast monastic complex that today includes a church, two cloisters with annexed dependencies, two royal pantheons, the Founder’s Chapel and the Unfinished Chapels.
King João I gave it to the order of Saint Dominic, under the good auspices of Doctor João das Regras, chancellor of the kingdom, and Friar Lourenço Lampreia, confessor of the monarch.
Church of Santa Maria da Vitória
We started by visiting the church of the monastery complex, which is known as the Church of Santa Maria da Vitória. It is free to enter. Inside it is a stunning space, made all the more spectacular by the light streaming through the stained-glass windows projecting colourful patterns onto the grey stone floors. It is a large church and is more than 80 metres (263 feet) in length, 22 metres (72 feet) in width and 32.5 metres (107 feet) high.
The church is organised into three naves, with two side naves that are narrower and lower than the central nave. The naves lead to the transept, where, in the centre of the crossing, one finds a modern high altar before the chancel proper. The chancel is made up of five polygonal chapels. The two-storey High Altar has impressive tall stained-glass windows, the oldest of which date from the early 16th century, representing an innovation in Portuguese Gothic architecture.
After admiring the church, we headed outside via the main doors (we had entered through a side door). This gave us the chance to see the main façade of the Church of Santa Maria da Vitória, which had some wonderful carvings wrapped around the entrance to the church.
We decided to back inside and pay the fee which gave us access to other parts of the monastery.
The Founder’s Chapel
The Founder’s Chapel is just off the main nave next to the church entrance. It was not part of the original plan of the Monastery, and instead owes its construction to the decision of King João I to build a family pantheon, giving the master builder Huguet the job of its planning and construction, which was completed in about 1433/34. Inside an arched canopy with the chapel is a large sarcophagus, the largest in Portugal, which entombs the remains of King João I and Queen Filipa de Lencastre. On the top of the sarcophagus is sculpted the royal couple in repose, holding hands, covered by baldachins with their coat of arms. Also, within the chapel are the tombs, from the second quarter of the 15th century, of the children of the royal couple.
The Cloisters and Chapter House
On the opposite of the nave is the access to the cloisters. We love cloisters! The first cloister, the Royal Cloister, was particularly lovely, with a gorgeous arched ceiling.
Halfway along the gallery of the royal cloister is the doorway to the chapter house, a vast quadrangular space 19 metres across, covered by an impressive and daring star-vaulted ceiling of eight points, with no central support. After the church, this was the most important dependency in the day-to-day life of the Dominican friars, who would assemble here to pay heed to and reflect upon the various chapters of monastic law which they followed and to discuss relevant matters of daily life.
The ‘Unfinished’ Chapels
Before leaving Batalha we had one more area to explore, the ‘Unfinished’ Chapels.
Started around 1434 under the guidance of architect Huguet, the Pantheon of King Duarte, more usually known as the Unfinished Chapels, is built octagonal building with an entranceway on an axis and seven radiating chapels separated by small triangular structures.
The death of King Duarte in 1437 and that of master builder Huguet himself the following year put a stop to the work on the new funereal chapel, which was intended to consolidate King Duarte’s lineage and personal legacy.
In the reign of King Manuel, modifications were made to the initial design were made. It is to this period that we owe the sumptuous portal, completely sculpted, conceived and executed under the direction of Mateus Fernandes, one of the great Manueline masters. The seven funeral chapels were also completed during the lifetime of King Manuel.
It was not until the 1940s that the Pantheon of King Duarte came to house the twin tombs of the King and his Queen Leonor in the axial chapel.
Planning your visit to Fátima
Getting to Batalha Monastery
A8 motorway Lisbon – Leiria
A1 motorway Lisbon – Porto – exit Fátima/Batalha
IC2 Lisbon/Porto – exit Batalha
Interurban bus services (Largo 14 de Agosto, next to the Parish Church)