the monument that was never finished, and that's part of it
The Mosteiro da Batalha was commissioned by D. João I to fulfil a vow: if he defeated the Castilians at the battle of Aljubarrota in 1385, he would build a Dominican monastery in honour of Santa Maria da Vitória. He won. Work began in 1386 and stretched over more than a hundred and fifty years, under seven monarchs, with seven successive architects directing the works (Afonso Domingues, Master Huguet, Mateus Fernandes, among others). It has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, and is one of the most accomplished examples of flamboyant Gothic and Manueline in Portugal.
The main facade gives you the register straight away: a monumental portal in flamboyant Gothic, with six archivolts of sculpted figures, an open rose window above the portal, vertical buttresses on the sides. Inside, the church is tall, narrow, and light-filled, with coloured stained glass marking the light at certain hours of the day. The adjacent Royal Cloister, with its tracery closed in lace-like stone, is where the Manueline fully takes over: each window has its own design, with plant motifs, ropes, and the cross of the Order of Christ appearing in almost everything. It's a cloister to walk slowly.
The Unfinished Chapels give the monument its name. Commissioned by D. Duarte as a dynastic pantheon, they were literally left unfinished: the roof was never put in place, and what you see today is the enormous octagon open to the sky, with pillars decorated top to bottom in exuberant Manueline (chains, armillary spheres, plant motifs, symbols of the sea). It's one of the most expressive ruins in Portuguese architecture, and it works better for being unfinished. It wasn't a lack of money or labour: it was political priority, with D. Manuel I shifting the dynastic effort to the Jerónimos in Belém. The Chapels were left suspended mid-gesture.
The other thing that justifies the stop is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in the Chapter House. It's a cenotaph in honour of Portuguese soldiers killed in the First World War and the Colonial War. The guard of honour is permanent. The Chapter House also has the octagonal star vault that was a technical feat for its time, raised by Master Huguet without central pillars. Allow two to three hours to take the complex at a comfortable pace.
the whole scene
- founded by D. João I in 1386, fulfilling a vow for victory at Aljubarrota
- flamboyant Gothic and Manueline in dialogue, over more than a hundred and fifty years
- Unfinished Chapels open to the sky, with exuberant Manueline on the pillars
- Royal Cloister with lace-stone windows, each with its own design
- Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with permanent guard of honour
