Inside Portugal (if you build it)

Portugal: Europe's West Coast

Outubro/October 2008

Eight centuries of architectural style in Portugal On a hot July day in 1139, a young nobleman and his ragtag band of knights took to the field of battle near Ourique, in the Alentejo region, to face the forces of five Moorish kings. Legend or not, the overwhelming victory of D. Afonso Henriques on that day would lead his men to declare him their king... and Portugal was born.

In that year, the map of Europe looked nothing like it does today, but within a century after Henriques' victory, Portugal's modern borders were drawn, making it the first nation-state on the continent. That means we have eight centuries of history to examine when we venture to describe Portugal's architecture.  And, at the time of its birth, the nation had a few thousand years of Roman, Greek, Celt, Moorish and Visigoth influences on its building styles as well.

Within Portugal, the traveler will find plenty of examples of unique architecture.  Indeed, the country's architectural influence is seen throughout the world, from Goa in India, to Cape Verde to Brazil.

Today Portugal may be the oldest nation in Europe--in terms of how long its current borders have been defined--but it is becoming known for its innovation and creativity. Portugal is home to a thriving culture of fashion, music, food, and art, and the country remains a meeting point for people from around the world. Its new nightclubs are some of the liveliest in Europe and its new bistros blend the pillars of Portuguese food with globally inspired new flavors. Modern designers are bringing bold fashions to the runways, impressive new architecture to blend with the historic ambiance of the cities, and new museums of contemporary art.

In the beginning

The earliest architectural monuments found in Portugal are prehistoric megaliths (stone structures) and mysterious dolmens found mostly in the Alentejo region, near the tiny, medieval-era walled town of Monsaraz. Many of theses sites date from 4000 to 2000 B.C., and are wrapped in mystery. A little more recent are the numerous Celtic towns running from Portugal's northern to southern border and dating from 800 to 200 B.C.  Next comes the Roman, whose influence is clearly seen in the buildings of Coimbra, Belmonte and Troia. Roman ruins can also be seen in the excavated cloister of Lisbon's cathedral and in the walled town of Évora, where the columns of a Roman temple still stand. There are even good, rare examples of the Visigoth period in Soure and São Frutouso. The Moors left behind castles in Silves and Sintra, a mighty gate in Coimbra, and a mosque in Mértola.

The First Portuguese

When D. Afonso Henriques took Lisbon from the Moors in 1147, he ordered a great cathedral to be built, thanking God for his victory and in the honor of Saint Vicente, patron saint of Portugal. His remains had been rescued from their hiding place on the Algarve Cape that still bears his name. The cathedral was built in the heavy and military oriented Romanesque style that had been imported from France. So, the 12th century cathedrals of Lisbon can be mistaken for fortified castles, a nod to the still strong threat of the Moors. The cathedrals of Coimbra, Porto, and Braga also have Romanesque towers that look a bit like battlements.

As Portugal prospered a new, more artistic style took root. The Gothic style arrived toward the end of the 13th century and can be seen in numerous churches, palaces and large monasteries from Madeira to Guarda. One of the first great Gothic structures is the magnificent Alcobaça Monastery, a landmark of the Cistercian order of monks in Europe. The monastery's soaring nave, intricate doorway, and ornate tombs of Inês de Castro and Dom Pedro are breathtaking to this day.  Many say the greatest example of Gothic architecture is the great abbey at Batalha. Like Lisbon's cathedral, this church rose to fulfill a vow made by King D. João I.

He pledged to build it if he stopped the vast Castilian army at Aljubarroita in 1385. He did and, true to his word, Santa Maria da Vitória at Batalha is one of the finest gothic buildings in the world. The masterpiece inside this masterpiece is the Chapter House, which uses a star vault without central support spanning a space 19 meters square. It was the first such use of this revolutionary design, and is considered a highpoint in architecture. Other great gothic churches were built following this abbey, including the cathedral at Guarda and the Carmo Church in Lisbon.

The Ancient Art of War

No other nation can boast as many impressive castles per capita as Portugal. These were not ornate palaces or family homes, but formidable defensive structures to stop advances by Moors and later the Spanish. More than 100 castles still guard the frontier of Portugal today, and a dozen more guard the rivers and coastal towns. They endure in various states of ruin and today seem so much a part of the landscape that perhaps they were not made by human hands.  Their origins in war seem lost to history.

To name a few of these monument is nearly impossible, but we can highlight a few for their singular beauty--well worth a trip to Portugal. The mysterious Knights Templar built a series of impregnable castles along the River Tejo Their seat of power was the fortified monastery at Tomar and it served as both a temple and a castle built in 1160. The round church of the castle of Tomar was also built in the second half of the 12th century, modeled after the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in old Jerusalem. Its huge pillars, massive walls and secret passages may still guard secrets of the lost order today.

To the south, the Templars also built an impressive castle that is still standing, rising from a tiny island in the River Tejo. The Almourol castle's simple, high walls rise around a huge square. The island is only accessible by boat. It is said that a ghostly knight haunts the castle, though no battles were fought here.

Bragança Castle, in the rugged northeast region of Portugal, has a more medieval feel to it and several unique monuments. The town of Bragança is surrounded by a well-fortified wall. The 100-foot-plus castle today holds a military museum and next door to it is the 13th century Domus Municipalis, probably the oldest town hall in Portugal and one of the few surviving Romanesque civic buildings in the world. In this region are more than 100 "porcas" or granite boars that date from the Iron Age.

Manueline - A Portuguese Exclusive

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