Batalha Monastery
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Why go
- The western portal’s 78 statues of Old Testament kings, angels, prophets and saints.
- The Unfinished Chapels’ octagonal centre, seven radiating chapels and massive unfinished buttresses.
- The joint tomb of King John I and Philippa of Lancaster beneath the Founder’s Chapel’s star vault.
- The Chapterhouse’s star vault, spanning a 19-metre square without a central support.
- The tombs of two unknown soldiers killed in World War I, guarded by two sentinels in the Chapterhouse.
Know before you go
- Opening hours: Monday–Friday and Sunday, 09:00–18:30; Saturday, 09:00–18:00.
- The Unfinished Chapels can only be entered from outside.
Services and visiting hours
- Religious worship
- Continues at the monastery
Interesting facts4
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Construction involved fifteen architects across the reigns of seven kings.
Batalha Monastery - Wikipedia -
1533
A Renaissance loggia added around 1533 was probably intended for musicians.
Batalha Monastery - Wikipedia -
A fountain and two smaller basins designed by Mateus Fernandes stand in the Royal Cloister’s northwestern corner.
Batalha Monastery - Wikipedia (part 2) -
A carved figure on a corbel is thought to portray the master stonemason.
Mosteiro da Batalha - Wikipedia
Shorts
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O Mosteiro da Batalha: A Promessa que Eternizou AljubarrotaAxómetro
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Visite de Graça o Mosteiro da Batalha2 em Portugal
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Batalha Monastery | Portugal’s Gothic MasterpieceCésar PT
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Batalha Monastery 🏰 Portugal's Gothic MasterpieceTravel Treasures
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🇵🇹 Discover Batalha Monastery , Portugal | 4K Shorts Travel ExperienceTourist Travel Channel
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Batalha Monastery Mosteiro da BatalhaЧитач на колесах
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🇵🇹 Discover Batalha Monastery , Portugal | 4K Shorts Travel ExperienceTourist Travel Channel
History
The Dominican community first settled in a small church called Santa Maria-a-Velha. During the monastery’s 19th-century restoration, Luís Mouzinho de Albuquerque directed work that included the destruction of two cloisters beside the Unfinished Chapels.
- 1385Portugal’s victory over the Castilians at Aljubarrota inspired King John I’s promise to the Virgin Mary, fulfilled by the monastery.
- 1386King John I commissioned the monastery; Afonso Domingues began construction and designed its plan and many parts of the church and cloister.
- 1426–1434The Founder’s Chapel was built as Portugal’s first royal pantheon.
- 1437King Edward commissioned the Unfinished Chapels as a mausoleum for himself and his descendants.
- 1448–1477Fernão de Évora built the Royal Cloister.
Show all
- 1509Mateus Fernandes completed the Unfinished Chapels’ portal.
- 1834The Dominicans were expelled and the monastery was abandoned.
- 1840Ferdinand II began restoration of the ruined monastery.
- 1980The monastery became a museum.
- 1983It was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
- 2016The monastery became a National Pantheon.
Sources: Batalha Monastery - Wikipedia · Batalha Monastery - Wikipedia (part 2) · Batalha - Wikivoyage (see) · Em breve · Mosteiro da Batalha - Wikipedia · Monastère de Batalha - Wikipedia · Mosteiro da Batalha - Wikipedia · checked 28 Sep 2026
- Website
- mosteirobatalha.gov.pt/
- Phone
- +351213650800
Questions and answers
Where is Batalha Monastery?
At Largo Infante Dom Henrique in Batalha, Portugal, facing a large square with an equestrian statue of Nuno Álvares Pereira.
Is Batalha Monastery still used for worship?
Yes. Religious worship continues there, and it has held National Pantheon status since 2016.
Who else is buried in Batalha Monastery’s Founder’s Chapel?
Four younger sons of King John I and their spouses also have tombs there.
Where is the former battlefield in relation to Batalha Monastery?
The monastery stands just north of the former battlefield of Aljubarrota, near Leiria.
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