Monastery of Batalha

The Monastery that is also a Pantheon

In the city of Batalha, located in the municipality of Leiria, about 150 kilometres from Lisbon, lies one of the most important national monuments in the country - and in the world, so important that it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. The Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória, better known as the Monastery of Batalha, or the Temple of the Homeland, has more than 600 years of history and is considered, as of 2016, a national pantheon, along with the Monastery of the Jerónimos in Lisbon and the Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra. This is, of course, including the "original" National Pantheon in the Church of Santa Engrácia in Lisbon.

Famous people from Portugal's history are buried in Batalha, such as João I, Filipa de Lencastre, João I, Henrique, Isabel, Fernando, Afonso V, João II, Duarte and the Unknown Soldier, a tribute to the soldiers who died over the centuries without their bodies being identified.

The monastery of Batalha, one of the 7 wonders of Portugal

It is one of the most emblematic places in the country, holding the title of national monument since 1910 and one of the seven wonders of Portugal since 2007. These titles are not in vain, its Portuguese Gothic architecture, evolving towards the so-called Manueline style with some touches of Renaissance, marks the evolution in time of the building whose construction began between 1387 and 1388. The inauguration, however, did not take place until almost 150 years later, in 1517 - and that without the construction being completed, it was only considered finished in 1563. But a monument of this magnitude is never really finished, which is why it was restored in the 20th century, in 1983 to be precise.

Monastery History

Let's go back to the 16th century when King João I promised the Virgin Mary that if she helped him win the battle of Aljubarrota against the Castilians, he would build a monastery as a thank you, John I honoured his promise by ordering the construction of the current national monument, which consists of a church, two cloisters with annexed outbuildings and two royal pantheons, the founder's chapel and the imperfect chapels. The monastery was given to the Order of S. Domingos, and remained under their jurisdiction until the extinction of the religious orders in 1834.

In that year, under the supervision of Luís Mouzinho de Albuquerque, the monastery was restored under the strong influence of the English traveller Thomas Pitt, who had made the monastery known to the world through his engravings. Two cloisters were then destroyed, alongside the imperfect chapels, and, again in the wake of the end of the religious orders, all religious symbols were removed from the monastery, which became a symbol of the Avis dynasty. At that time, in fact, the monastery was better known as the "Monastery of Batalha" and less as the "Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória". To visit the monastery of Batalha is to visit a part of Portuguese history, with its characters and its architecture.

Practical information

Opening hours of the Monastery of Batalha

It is open (from 16 October to 31 March) from 09:00 to 18:00 (last entry 17:30) and (from 1 April to 15 October) from 09:00 to 18:30 (last entry 18:00).

Entrance fee

 - Individual ticket: €6.00

Access to Batalha city

The village is welcoming and friendly and is a must for anyone visiting the monastery. Access is easy, with several motorways (A1, A8 and A19), as well as buses from and to Lisbon.