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written by
Andy Turner
updated 26.04.2021
Eleven kilometres south of Leiria stands the Mosteiro de Santa Maria da Vitória, widely known as the Mosteiro da Batalha (Battle Abbey). Built to commemorate a great national victory – the defeat of Castilian forces at the decisive Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385 – the abbey in turn became a great national monument and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1983. Successive monarchs lavished funds upon its construction, and over two centuries Batalha became one of Portugal’s most celebrated buildings – a hybrid Gothic and Manueline masterpiece that’s both royal pantheon and an expression of national pride.
Most visitors see the abbey and leave – to be honest, there isn’t anything attractive about the village itself, though it’s peaceful once the tour buses have left. To complete the trip – and learn more about the history behind the founding of the abbey – it’s also worth driving out to São Jorge, 4km south of present-day Batalha and site of the actual battle in question, where there’s a useful interpretation centre.
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