Figueira da Foz

   Today our adventures took us out of Lisbon to the walled, fortress city of Obidos. Billed as a castle, it really isn't, walled city is a much better description. The walls, built in the 1300's, were in concentric circles. The inside wall protected the royal family, the second wall the nobility and the third wall everyone else. Rank has its privileges.  Fascinating to see a jet airplane's contrail over 14th century structures. There are 13 churches withing the walls and a small population. Actually the site was occupied much earlier by the Romans.
    After a leisurely visit to Obido, we motored on to the small town of Alcobaca to see the Alcobaca Monestery. This has to be one of the largest churches I've ever seen. This is what Wikipedia has to say about it:
"The Alcobaça Monastery (Portuguese: Mosteiro de Alcobaça, Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaça) is a Roman Catholic monastic complex located in the town of Alcobaça, in central Portugal, some 120km north of Lisbon. The monastery was established in 1153 by the first Portuguese King, Afonso Henriques, and would develop a close association with the Portuguese monarchy throughout its seven-century-long history.

The church and monastery were the first Gothic buildings in Portugal, and, together with the roughly older Augustinian Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, it was one of the most important mediaeval monasteries in Portugal. Due to its artistic, cultural and historical relevance, it was included in UNESCO's World Heritage Site list in 1989.^[1][2]"

   One of the fascinating aspects of the building was evidence that the builders were unfamiliar with Gothic architecture so some elements of Romanesque are evident.  Alcobaca is a beautiful small town of about 7,000 population. The building is owned by the government of Portugal but a local Catholic congregation uses it for worship. Because it was a monastic facility it is almost totally devoid of ornamentation.

    Tonight we're in the Mecure Hotel, on the seashore with all of our rooms having a view of the Atlantic. It is in the small community of Figueira da Foz. Our drive today took us through a variety of topography including miles of wooded hills.   

Takk for alt,

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Obidos outer wall.

The nave at Alcobaca.

On the right a diorama of a good death, on a tomb in the nave.

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