- Claustro Principal
The Main cloister was built in the 16th century and is considered a masterpiece of European Renaissance inspired by Italian architecture. - Manueline design
Ooooh, I love the Manueline design. Especially the belt/garter around the tower. - Details in the nave
Manueline details in the church nave - Charola - the round Templar church
The round church as seen from the nave - Charola - the round Templar church
Wonderful pained walls - 12th and 16th century meet
The arch that connects the 12th century Charola and the early 16th century nave. - Organ pipe
A giant organ pipe (75 cm in diameter and 11,5 m tall) is all that is left of a 16-century organ. - Charola - the round Templar church
- Charola - the round Templar church
The gothic/manueline sculptures and paintings were added by King Manuel I. - Charola - the round Templar church
- Charola - the round Templar church
I'm not a fan of gold, but these painted walls are just magnificent. - Charola - the round Templar church
This Templar church was built in the late 12th century and is inspired by the Temple in Jerusalem. Fresco and secco paintings as well as the carved woodwork was added later, in 1510-1515 under King Manuel. - Sacristia Nova
The New Sacristy (under Prince Henry the old Chapter House) was built by Francisco Lopes in the late 16th century. The vaulted ceiling is from the time of the Spanish Philips and shows a cross, the armillary sphere and the royal arms. - Claustro do Cemitério
The Gothic Cloister of the Cemetery was built in the 15th century under Henry the Navigator. One of the tombs is of Diogo da Gama, the brother of Vasco. - Claustro da Lavagem
This two-storey Gothic cloister built in 1426-1453 under Henry the Navigator was used for washing the garments. - Unfinished Chapels
The insane amount of details on the finished part compared to the ... well ... unfinished part is just crazy. - Tomb
- Capelas Imperfeitas
The Unfinished Chapels, obviously :-) The octagonal rotunda, which has seven radiating hexagonal chapels, was commissioned in 1437 by King Edward, Dom Duarte. - Portal
Magnificent Manueline architecture - Portal
The portal from 1509 is (one of?) the oldest example of Manueline architecture, built by Mateus Fernandes. It is a homage of King Manuel I to his predecessor King Edward and the motto "Leauté faray tam yaserei (I will always be loyal)" is written over two hundred times. - Portal
Portal leading to the Unfinished Chapels was originally built in Gothic style, but was transformed "beyond recognition" in 1509 into Manueline style. - Unfinished Chapels
The Unfinished Chapels and the tombs of Dom Duarte (Eduard, d.1438) and his queen Eleanor of Aragon (d. 1445). - Claustro D. Afonso V.
- Claustro D. Afonso V.
The dormitory cells - Claustro D. Afonso V.
More carvings... - Claustro D. Afonso V.
Some rather ... strange ... carvings on the dormitory walls. - Claustro D. Afonso V.
The second cloister was built in the 15th century as the Royal Cloister and dormitory didn't suit the Dominicans. This one with individual rooms was built in a plain Gothic style and the original Dormitorium was used as a wine cellar. - Gargoyle souvenir
A souvenir you can buy in Batalha Monastery Shop in the form of one of their many gargoyles. - Dormitory
Entrance to the original Dormitory in the Royal Cloister - Claustro Real
- Claustro Real
- Claustro Real
- Claustro Real
The Royal Cloister is 50x50 m². The south and east wings were built by one architect (Afonso Domingues) and the north and west wings by another (Huguet). - Claustro Real
The Royal Cloistre and the church - Dormitory
Original Dormitory window. The room was later used as a wine cellar. - The Chapterhouse
The Chapterhouse (Sala do Capitulo) with the Unknown Soldier Tomb. It is a 19x19 m² square room with a star vault lacking a central support. According to Wikipedia, this was such a daring concept at the time that condemned prisoners were used to perform the task. It was completed after two failed attempts... - Claustro Real
The Royal Cloister was built between 1448 and 1477. - Mosteiro da Batalha
The nave of the church. The Monastery took very long to build, starting in 1386 and "ending" in 1517 - or rather never! - Capela do Fundador
Wonderful Gothic architecture in the Founders' Chapel. - Capela do Fundador
The outer square and the inner octagonal architecture represents the symbiosis between local Gothic and English perpendicular style, as King João married Philippa of Lancaster. - Capela do Fundador
The Founders' Chapel was built between 1426 and 1434. - Prince Henry the Navigator's omb
One of the many tombs is the Founder's Chapel. In the middle, there is a joint tomb of King John I of Portugal (d.1433) and his wife Philippa of Lancaster (d.1415). Around are the tombs of his sons, including this one, the tomb of Henry the Navigator (d. 1460). - Tomb of King João II
King João II, also called the Perfect Prince (Príncipe Perfeito), died in 1495. - Capela do Fundador
One of the stained glass window - Mosteiro da Batalha
A wonderful Gothic nave - Tomb of Mateus Fernandes (d. 1515)
Mateus Fernandes was one of the architects of the Monastery and started the Manueline style. - Mosteiro da Batalha
Batalha probably had the first workshop for stained-glass windows in Portugal. The oldest windows are from the 1430s. - Mosteiro da Batalha
- Convento de Cristo
The Convent of Christ was originally founded by the Templar Knights in 1118 and in 1319 fell under the Order of Christ. The 16-side polygonal church was built in the 12th century... Now that is old. - Claustro do Cemitério
The tiles are from the 16th century. - Portocarreiros Chapel
They had one job ... This chapel was built in 1626 by Antonio Portocarreiro, his wife and children. - Mosteiro da Batalha
The famous Batalha Monastery, officially known, as the Monastery of Saint Mary of the Victory. It was erected in commemoration of the 1385 Battle of Aljubarrota and is now one of the best examples of late gothic architecture in Portugal. - Largo Infante Dom Henrique
The town was founded by King D. João I of Portugal to pay homage to the Portuguese victory at the Battle of Aljubarrota (August 14, 1385). - Tree branches at night
It was a rainy night and these are the reflections on tree branches. - The eastern wall
- Obidos
The town and the town walls at night. - The town falls
- Castelo de Óbidos
- "Medieval" market
The town is very proud if its medieval history and they organise medieval markets and festivals. - A flower pot
Probably some king I should recognise, but I don't. - Obidos
View from the town walls. - The famous town walls
Originally built in the Moors era (8-11th century), the current walls were rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake. You can walk along the 1.5 km long walls. - Porta da Vila
The main entrance to the city with 18th century azulejos. - Porta da Vila
The ceiling represents the Crown of Thorns. - Palácio de Mafra
The Palace of Mafra was built between 1717-1755 and is one of the largest royal palaces with 40 000 m^2. - Saint Francis Borgia
A statue of Saint Francis Borgia, a great-grandson of Pope Alexander VI. Yeah, pope. - Statue detail
It's just insane, how much detail there is in one single accessory to one of the many statues in such a church. - Saint Jerome
A statue of Saint Hieronymus in the baroque basilica. - Mafra Basilica dome
What a wonderful dome. - The north cloistre
- Mafra Library
Fun fact: there are about 500 bats living in the library that eat insects and preserve the books. - Mafra Library
- Mafra Library
But the books - oh, my! So, so magnificent! - Mafra Library
The famous library has about 36 000 volumes - dating from 14th to 19th century, including the Nuremerg Chronicle from 1493 (The complete book) and the Diderot et d'Alembert Encyclopédie from 1751. - Perspectivae pictorum atque architectorum
Perspectivae pictorum atque architectorum. Andrea Pozzo. This Latin/German edition is from 1719. The complete book I do have a soft spot for Andrea Pozzo as he was the architect of my hometown's cathedral. - Regla de las cinco ordenes de architectura
Regla de las cinco ordenes d'architectura de Iacome de Vignola. Giacomo Barocci da Vignola. This spanish edition is from 1702. The complete book - Architecture de Palladio, Divisee en Quatre Livres
Architecture de Palladio, Divisee en Quatre Livres. Andrea Palladio. This french edition is from 1726. The complete book - Mundus Subterraneus
Mundus Subterraneus. A book from 1665 by Athanasius Kircher. This page explains the connections of water inside the Earth. The complete book - 18th century tools
Tools from the 1st half of the 18th century: the suspension weights, the monkey, the ratchet, and the wedges. - Giant compasses
These compasses are giant! But than again, you probably need them if you're building such a huuuge thing. - Furniture
Well... not my cup of tea at all, but interesting nevertheless. - What a cutie!
In the Hunting room, also called the Trophy room. - Another ... game?
Another game in the Game room. It might be some sort of early table football but I am not sure. - The Yellow room
Also called the Music room or the Reception room. - A billiard table
The Games room - Tassels
- Queen's bathroom
- Queen's bathroom
- A chair in Queen's bedroom
Most of the furniture was taken to Brazil when the Royal family fled in 1808, so the palace was later redecorated in the original style. - Chamberlain's room
The coat of arms and a bunch of Greek gods. - Basilica
The view the King and the Queen had during the Mass. - Sala da Benção
In the middle between King's and Queen's apartments, there is the Sala da Benção where they could attend Mass without actually going to the basilica. - Palace corridors
The King's and Queen's quarters were 232 m apart... so, technically, if the floors were completely flat, one could see the curvature of the Earth. - King's bed
- King's bedroom
- King's bedroom
Gondola-inspired bed. For the King. 200 m away from the Queen's bed. - King's chapel
"He was a carpenter by trade, or at least that's what I'm told..." - Throne room
- Diana room
The ceiling in Diana room. The King's quarters, obviously. - 18th century pharmacy
The ... equipment.