Monuments

Being situated in a fertile region, this abbey enjoyed a rapid rise to prosperity. Yet when the abbot of Clairvaux visited the site in 1533, the material and spiritual life of this Cistercian centre was already in decline.

With the establishment of the Congregation of Alcobaça, the monastic community was revitalised and the monastery was rebuilt between the late 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century, finally falling into extinction in 1834, when the church was given over to parochial duties. The only features remaining from the original mediaeval church are some traces to be found in the southern wall. What we see today is an 18th-century church framed by two towers.

The façade, which is preceded by a vast staircase, has statues of personalities associated with the Cistercian Order: St. Bernard, Our Lady of the Assumption and St. Benedict, surmounted by a large shield bearing the coat of arms of Portugal. The interior is clearly baroque and rocaille in style: the carved and gilded woodwork of the high altar, the images of St. Benedict and St. Bernard, the choir stalls, exceptional for the originality of their gilded panels from the second half of the 17th century, as well as the 18th-century azulejo panels on the walls, depicting episodes from the life and legend of St. Bernard.

The monastic buildings spread southwards, the most notable feature being an impressive façade running perpendicular to the front of the church and containing niches with statues. The chapter house, the kitchen with its sinks and monumental chimney, the adjacent refectory and the beautiful cloister with its Tuscan columns are now integrated into the Pousada, resulting from the exceptional quality of the project designed by the architect Eduardo Souto Moura.

A short distance away is the Santuário da Senhora da Abadia, a shrine that is definitely well worth a visit.