The Monastery of Alcobaça is the most ancient of the four World Heritage Sites in the Center of Portugal, and one of the finest and significant examples of Cistercian Architecture in Europe. Apart from its magnificent façade, it keeps in its core – an elegant and outstanding church - the wonderful secret of the love between D. Pedro and D. Inês de Castro, enhanced by the influences that shape the monument’s architecture into an exceptional Gothic masterpiece. However, the significance of Alcobaça Monastery goes beyond this tragic love story, since, in 1153 – only ten years after the foundation of Portugal -, D. Afonso Henriques offered a land of about 44 thousand hectares to the Cistercian Order, making this abbey one of the most relevant cultural, religious and ideological centers in Portugal at the time. The monument its one of the most well-preserved Cistercian monasteries worldwide, where the Church stands out, with approximately one hundred meters. Both the impressive hydraulic infrastructures and medieval monastic buildings found here are testimonies and products of several significant periods of the history of humanity.  While following the silent steps of the Cistercian monks who once lived in this exquisite place made by stone and light – from the Cloister of Silence to the Chapter House, from the Refectory to the impressive kitchen, the Monks’ Room and Dormitory – one can also discover a surprising history and its important role in the foundation of Portugal as a nation. A monument of indisputable beauty and purity, listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1989.

 

The Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória builds in stone a great expression of devotion and gratitude. The devotion of the king D. João I to the Virgin Mary and the gratitude for the victory of Portugal over Spain, achieved at the decisive Battle of Aljubarrota (1385), which granted the emancipation and independence of Portugal, fought by the great strategist and commander of the Portuguese troops, D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, The Holy Constable. It is a monument of splendour. The overwhelming flame Gothic style and the profuse and intricate details of lights, shadows and colours as a result of the stained-glass panels and a vast repertory of architectural ornaments, brings each time a new surprise as a revelation of wonder. From the several monastic dependencies, the Unfinished Chapels, the Royal Cloister and the Chapter’s House are a must-see, but the magnificent Church and the Founder’s Chapel are most definitely a highlight of the visit, proving the exceptional value of this iconic monument of outstanding beauty.
The Monastery of Batalha is such a distinct and well preserved representation of the crossing of influences and irrefutable technical, architectonic and artistic brilliance, that it is listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, as a proof of the creative genius of Humanity.

Since its foundation in 1290, the University of Coimbra has played an absolute unquestionable central role on the production and transmission of knowledge in areas like arts, sciences, law, architecture, urbanism and landscape, and also in the formation and unity of the Portuguese language, through the pioneering spirit of the Portuguese Discoveries through a geographic area that covers four continents.

As the ideological and cultural reformations were happening, the landscape of the city allowed itself to be influenced by the University's heritage. In this particular and monumental case, that integrates the UNESCO World Heritage List since June 2013, is important to highlight not only the Paço das Escolas, the heart of the University, but also the Rua da Sofia and its colleges and schools, where the history of the university started to be written, expanding then, until the Alta of Coimbra.

Wandering through the University of Coimbra, Alta and Sofia is therefore to travel through time and history. At Rua da Sofia one can discover the several colleges that testify the exponent of the religious higher education until the late 19th century, as the College of Graça or the Former College of Arts. After climbing the narrow streets of Alta de Coimbra, discover the formal Royal Palace and the uniquel barroque Joanine Library, and be mindfull of the exceptional scientific and botanical heritage collections in the Chemistry Laboratory or in the Botanical Garden. Don't' miss the significant historical references embodied into unique architectural landmarks such as General Library and the Faculty of Medics, both from the dictatorial period and finally immerse yourself into the academic spirit by discovering ancient traditions still rooted in the academic community to this day.

The Templar Castle and the Convent of Christ in Tomar is one of the largest monumental complexes of peninsular and European architectures, either in space as in time. With an area of forty-five acres, and with a period of construction of about seven centuries, it embraces not only the remarkable buildings but also a vast area of pleasant gardens, such as Mata dos Sete Montes.
This monument to Portugal’s history illustrates several important milestones and decisive moments in the history of the western world. Discovering the Convent of Christ is therefore to witness an exquisite symbiosis of a vast European art repertoire with the multiple architectural styles embodied in this monumental complex since its foundation. By browsing through its seven cloisters and innumerous monastic facilities, we can identify a vast stylistic repertoire summarized through the many centuries of its construction. However, its when we find the Templars Charola and the Manueline Window in the Chapter Room that we testimony the first contact between the european occidental world and the east. It was in fact this very unique synthesis of both the old and new worlds of the Discoveries through the Manueline style that justified the classification of this site, in 1983, as UNESCO World Heritage Site.