ROYAL MONASTERY AT BATALHA

WIENER, Jacques: Portugal, 1853, Bronze, 59 mm
Obv: View of exterior of monastery
Exergue: CONVENTO DE BATALHA EDIFICADO POR VOTO DE DOM JOAO I REI DE PORTUGAL NOS FINS DO XIV SECULO
Rev: View of interior
Signed: J. WIENER F. / J. WIENER BRUXELLES
Ref: Van Hoydonck 103; Reinecke 55; Weiss BW248

Batalha is the great Dominican monastery of Santa Maria da Victoria (St. Mary of the Victory) in the town of Batalha, Portugal. In 1385, John I of Portugal defeated John I of Castile and secured the independence of his kingdom. The monastery, which was founded shortly thereafter, about 1388, is built of golden-brown limestone, resembling marble and is richly sculptured. It is roughly a parallelogram with a circular annex of the royal mausoleum on the east and the Founder's chapel at the southwestern corner. Its southern division is the Gothic church. The Founder's chapel contains the tomb of John I (d.1433) and Philippa of Lancaster, his queen (d.1415) , with the tomb of Prince Henry the Navigator (d.1460). The Capellas Imperfeitas (Unfinished Chapels) are one of the most marvelous examples of Manueline architecture. The earthquake of 1755 damaged the monastery and the French sacked it in 1810. It was secularized in 1834, declared a national monument in 1840, and thereafter restored.

LINK to History of  Ecclesiastic Architecture (from World History at KMLA)

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