the only romanesque cathedral in portugal to reach the 21st century intact
It's the only Portuguese cathedral from the time of the Reconquista that survived without being disfigured by Baroque reforms. It's looked like a fortress from day one and still does: heavy ashlar walls, battlements at the top, a stairway climbing up to the portal. It was built to last.
Construction began in 1164, during the reign of D. Afonso Henriques and under Bishop D. Miguel Salomão. The design is attributed to the French master Roberto, who was also directing the Sé de Lisboa, with master Bernardo on site until he died in 1172, succeeded by master Soeiro. The cathedral was consecrated in 1184. The following year, D. Sancho I was crowned here as the second king of Portugal.
Inside, three robust naves and a collection of capitals with plant and animal decoration, no human figures, perhaps because they were the work of Mozarab artists settled in Coimbra. In the chancel, the gilded woodwork altarpiece from the early 16th century is by the Flemish artists Olivier de Gand and Jean d'Ypres, in Flamboyant Gothic. In the side naves are Gothic tombs from the 13th and 14th centuries, with the tomb of D. Vataça Lascaris standing out, a Byzantine noblewoman who came to Portugal accompanying D. Isabel de Aragão.
On the north side, superimposed on the Romanesque structure, is the Porta Especiosa, a Renaissance work by João de Ruão completed around 1530. The cloister was started in 1218 on the initiative of D. Afonso II and is one of the earliest expressions of Gothic in Portugal. The Sé Nova is also in the historic centre, up at the top, and has been the other seat of the Diocese since 1772.
what you'll find inside
- the only Portuguese Romanesque cathedral to reach the present day intact, with the look of a fortress
- capitals with plant and animal decoration, no human figures, attributed to Mozarab artists
- the Flamboyant Gothic altarpiece in the chancel, by Olivier de Gand and Jean d'Ypres
- the Renaissance Porta Especiosa by João de Ruão
- the Gothic cloister of 1218, one of the earliest expressions of Gothic in Portugal
- 13th-14th century Gothic tombs in the side naves, with the tomb of D. Vataça Lascaris standing out
