mosteiro de Alcobaça (Portugal) — lele3100

alcobaça monastery :beautiful gothic monument in portugal (unesco) монастырь Собор Katedra :The most significant Cistercian foundation in Portugal, the Monastery of Alcobaça dates from 1153, resulting from a donation made by Dom Afonso Henriques to St. Bernard of Clairvaux. It was one of the most powerful abbeys of the Cistercian order. The medieval monastic buildings are still preserved almost entirely, as are the 14th-century Gothic tombs of Dom Pedro and Dona Inês de Castro. The main feature of the city is essentially the Monastery that proudly presents a long and sombre façade with 18th Century embellishments. This austerity is further emphasized in the cloisters with its apt name of "Cloister of Silence". In contrast within the Abbey is the massive kitchen with a running stream specially diverted to pass through as a supply of fresh water. The open area of the kitchen chimney is large enough to take a whole ox for roasting. The surround to the sacristy doorway is an outstanding example of Manueline decoration. In 1794, Lord Beckford visited the Abbey and commented that he found some 300 monks "living in a very splendid manner"!