Monday, September 17, 2012

Batalha Monastery, Portugal

Mosteiro Santa Maria da Vitória, usually called the Batalha Monastery, is a Dominican convent in Batalha, Portugal. The monastery was commissioned by King John I of Portugal to celebrate a victory he won over the Castilians in 1385.



Construction of the monastery began in 1386 and continued into the 16th century. The names of all the supervising architects are known, beginning with Afonso Domingues from 1385 to 1402.



The monastery was never actually finished, and one of the most famous parts is the unfinished chapels, commissioned by King Duarte I in 1437.


For a building constructed over such a long period of time, it has an amazing unity of vision.

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