Monuments

Church and Convent of Santa Maria de Aguiar
Around 3 km from the town of Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, next to the main road, we find the Monastery of Santa Maria de Aguiar, surrounded by a leafy chestnut groves. The building is a fine example of primitive Gothic architecture, in terms of the simplicity of the classic lines, including an uncluttered and austere façade, that characterises the sobre buildings that were formerly occupied by the Cistercian Order.

The church was commissioned in 1174 by D. Afonso Henriques, who donated it to the Order. In addition to the church itself - of sober architecture interrupted by a baroque high altar built in 1636, and including statues of S. Bento and S. Bernardo - the residential wing of the monks is also preserved, including a sacristy and Chapter House, one of the walls of the refectory and the guest house, including a loggia with Tuscan columns with the coat of arms of the Autonomous Congregation (Cistercian order) and the date of 1704.

Although it was significantly damaged by Massena's soldiers, during the French invasions in the early 19th century and abandoned by the monks when the religious orders were extinguished in 1834, the monastery, which also served as a shelter for pilgrims on their way to Santiago, still conserves its former beauty.