Seven Wonders of Portugal

The Seven Wonders of Portugal (Portuguese: Sete Maravilhas de Portugal) is a list of cultural wonders located in Portugal.

Castle of Guimarães 10th century

The Guimarães Castle (Portuguese: Castelo de Guimarães) is the principal medieval castle in the municipality of Guimarães in Portugal’s northern region. It was constructed in the tenth century on the orders of Mumadona Dias to protect the monastery against raids by Moors and Norsemen.

The castle is a military construction that originated in the late Romanesque period and was elaborated during Portugal’s early Gothic century. Its perimeter is bounded by walls resembling a pentagram, which comprises eight rectangular towers, a military square, and a central keep. Originating on the foundations of a Roman edifice as described in Alfredo Guimares’ works, it was later developed on the French model, taking the form of a shield with a decreased centre yard and limited access. Due to its reconstruction at the end of the 13th century, the keep and houses were created, it retains some Gothic elements (possibly over pre-existing structures).

Emblematic of the medieval Portuguese castle, Guimarães is associated with the origins of the Portuguese nation.

The castle is located within the northern limits of the urban area of Guimarães, isolated on a small hill formed from granite, and encircled by a small forest park, accessed by several pedestrian trails. Alongside the southern tower is a bronze medallion of D. Afonso Henriques, over a large rock In the vicinity, on the hillside, is the Romanesque church of São Miguel do Castelo and the Palace of the Dukes of Braganza and some sections of wall that surrounded the city, and that was originally integrated into the castle.

Guimarães, Braga GPS 41.4479°N 8.2906°W

Castle of Óbidos 1195

The Castle of Óbidos (Portuguese: Castelo de Óbidos) is a well-preserved medieval castle located in the civil parish of Santa Maria, São Pedro e Sobral da Lagoa, in the municipality of Óbidos, Portuguese District of Leiria.

Óbidos was founded on the existence of a fortified settlement, most likely on the hilltop above the Luso-Roman castro and Roman oppidum (then civitas), known as the mysterious Eburobrittium, which Pliny the Elder once cited as being located between Collipo (modern-day Golpilheira near Leiria) and Olisipo (Lisbon). Archaeological investigations eventually revealed the presence of a forum, baths, and other Roman structures in the vicinity of the village. The territory was afterwards populated by the Lusitanos (dating all the way back to the fourth century BC) and Romans in the first century but was later invaded by Visigoths in the fifth and sixth centuries, and Muslims in the eighth century, who were responsible for fortifying the town.

The trapezoidal castle faces southeast and rises 79 metres (259 ft) above sea level, in the far northwest corner of the walled defences. It is strengthened in the north by three semi-circular and rectangular corbels; in the east and west by rectangular corbels known as the D. Dinis and D. Fernando towers; in the south by two semi-circular corbels, one with machillitions; and in the north and west by a barbican. A graceful, rectangular arch known as the tower of Albarrã runs along the wall dividing the two courtyards. The castle’s architecture is influenced by Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, and Manueline styles and is divided into two distinct sections: the Castelejo (now known as the Inn Castle or Pousada de Obidos) and the intramural sector.

The courtyard is contained in an irregular triangle shape and is surrounded by square merlons with sills and battlements. The perimeter of the walls, reinforced by square and cylindrical plant towers, is 1,565 metres (5,135 feet) in length and is completely enclosed by a battlement guarded by a crenellated parapet. To the west, a line of walls, reinforced by huge, rectangular towers, runs alongside the rocky cliffs. The Cerca Gate, Talhada Gate, and the watchtower of Jogo da Bola interrupt this line of walls, which is terminated in the southwest by the Facho Tower. From here, the walls are unevenly shaped to fit the relief of the land to the northeast, inflecting to the north and east and supported by semi-circular corbels and the castle’s minarets. The walls reach a height of 13 metres (43 feet) in some places.

A 3 kilometre (1.9 miles) aqueduct was built by Queen Catherine of Austria, wife of King John III (1521–1557), to transport water from the Usseira highlands to bidos, filling the town’s fountains.

Óbidos, Leiria GPS 39°21.819′N 9°09.428′W

Batalha Monastery, 1385

Batalha Monastery (Portuguese: Mosteiro da Batalha) is a Dominican convent located in the town of Batalha, district of Leiria, Portugal’s Centro Region. Originally and officially known as the Monastery of Saint Mary of the Victory (Portuguese: Mosteiro de Santa Maria da Vitória), it was built in remembrance of the 1385 Battle of Aljubarrota and was intended to serve as the burial church for the Portuguese royalty of the 15th-century Aviz dynasty. It is one of the best and most unique instances of Late Flamboyant Gothic architecture in Portugal, incorporating Manueline elements.

The monastery was built to thank the Virgin Mary for the Portuguese victory over the Castilians in the battle of Aljubarrota in 1385, fulfilling a promise of King John I of Portugal. 

The convent is a separate entity from the town.

The western façade, which faces the wide square with its equestrian statue of general Nuno Álvares Pereira, is divided into three sections by buttresses and massive pilasters: the Founder’s Chapel (Capelo do Fundador), an aisle’s sidewall, and the projecting gateway. The Unfinished Chapels (Capelas Imperfeitas) are a freestanding octagonal structure erected to the complex on the right side of this façade.

The Chapterhouse is located on the east side, adjacent to the church choir (Sala do Capitulo). King João I Cloister abuts the church and this chapterhouse. The construction continues into King Afonso V’s cloister (Claustro de D. Afonso V). The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from the First World War is located on the complex’s northern flank.

The archivolt contains a profusion of 78 statues of Old Testament kings, angels, prophets, and saints, each with its own baldachin. On both sides, splays depict (poor copies of) apostles, one of them is standing on a chained devil. Christ is enthroned in the tympanum, seated beneath a baldachin and flanked by the four Evangelists, each with his particular attribute.

Alcobaça Monastery, 1153

The Alcobaça Monastery (Portuguese: Mosteiro de Alcobaça, Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaça) is a Catholic monastic complex located in the town of Alcobaça, in central Portugal, some 120 km 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.

The Alcobaça Monastery was one of the first structures in Portugal affiliated with the Cistercian Order. It was founded in 1153 as a gift to Bernard of Clairvaux by the first Portuguese king, Afonso I or Afonso Henriques (1112–1185), following the king’s capture of the Moorish city of Santarém in March 1147. The monastery was founded as part of King Afonso I  to strengthen his rule and promote colonization of previously won regions from the Moors during the “Reconquista Cristã” or Reconquista.

The Alcobaça Monastery was erected in an early Gothic style, marking the entrance of this style in Portugal. The church and other major structures were built between 1178 and the end of the 13th century. In 1252, the church was dedicated. The original monastic buildings were erected along lean architectural lines, with no adornment other than some capital sculpture and a figure of the Virgin Mary, in accordance with the rules of the Cistercian Order.

Jerónimos Monastery, 1502

The Jerónimos Monastery, also known as the Hieronymites Monastery (Portuguese: Mosteiro dos Jerónimos), is a former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome in the parish of Belém, Lisbon Municipality, Portugal.

In Lisbon, the monastery is one of the most visible specimens of the Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline style of construction. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, together with the adjacent Tower of Belém.

The Jerónimos Monastery replaced a church dedicated to Santa Maria de Belém in the same location, where monks of the military-religious Order of Christ assisted mariners in route. The port of Praia do Restelo was a desirable location for mariners, offering secure mooring and protection from the winds, which were desired by ships entering the Tagus mouth. The current edifice was built in 1495 at the Montemor o Velho courts on the instructions of Manuel I (1469–1521) as a final resting place for members of the House of Aviz, in accordance with his idea that an Iberian dynastic monarchy would govern after his death. In 1496, King Manuel requested permission from the Holy See to build a monastery on the site. The Hermitage of Restelo (Ermida do Restelo), as the church was known, was already in disrepair when Vasco da Gama and his crew prayed there the night before embarking on their trip to the Orient in 1497.

Santa Maria de Belém, Lisbon GPS 38.6975°N 9.206667°W

Pena Palace, 1854

The Pena Palace (Portuguese: Palácio da Pena) is a Romanticist castle in São Pedro de Penaferrim, in the municipality of Sintra, on the Portuguese Riviera. The castle stands on the top of a hill in the Sintra Mountains above the town of Sintra, and on a clear day, it can be easily seen from Lisbon and much of its metropolitan area. It is a national monument and constitutes one of the major expressions of 19th-century Romanticism in the world. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. It is also used for state occasions by the President of the Portuguese Republic and other government officials.

The Pena Palace has a profusion of styles much in accordance with the exotic taste of Romanticism. The intentional mixture of eclectic styles includes the Neo-Gothic, Neo-Manueline, Neo-Islamic and Neo-Renaissance. Much of this has been evident since major renovations in the 1840s. References to other prominent Portuguese buildings, such as the Belém Tower, are also present.

Almost the entire palace stands on a rock in the Sintra Mountains. Structurally, it can be divided into four sections:

• the foundations and its enveloping walls, with two gateways (one of which is protected by a drawbridge)
• the restored structure of the old convent, and the clock tower
• the Arches Yard in front of the chapel, with its wall of Moorish arches
• the palatial zone and its cylindric bastion, with interiors decorated in the cathédrale style.

Sintra, Lisbon GPS 38.787778°N 9.390556°W

Belém Tower, 1521

Belém Tower (Portuguese: Torre de Belém, officially the Tower of Saint Vincent (Portuguese: Torre de S. Vicente)) is a 16th-century fortress in Lisbon that functioned as a point of embarkation and disembarkation for Portuguese explorers as well as a ceremonial gateway to the city. It was constructed during the Portuguese Renaissance’s height and is a noteworthy example of the Portuguese Manueline style, while it also combines elements of other architectural styles. The structure is made of lioz limestone and consists of a bastion and a four-story, 30-metre (98.4 ft) tower.

Since 1983, the tower, along with the Jerónimos Monastery, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Due to its iconic importance, it is frequently shown as a symbol of Europe’s Age of Discovery and as a metonym for Portugal or Lisbon. It has been mistakenly asserted that the tower was built in the middle of the Tagus and later relocated to the coast during the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. Indeed, the tower was constructed on a small island in the Tagus river near the Portuguese capital’s shore.

The Belém Tower is located on the northern bank of the Tagus River in the municipality of Lisbon, in the civil parish of Santa Maria de Belém. It is accessible through a tiny bridge at the western end of the Avenida de Braslia. To the east is the Jeronimos Monastery, to the west is the Forte do Bom Sucesso, and to the north is the tower Governor’s residence, the original Governor’s residence for the Forte do Bom Sucesso, and the Chapel of São Jerónimo.

The tower lies isolated along the riverbank, between Bom Sucesso and Pedrouços, on a basaltic outcrop of rocks from the Lisboa-Mafra geomorphological volcanic complex. Although several guides state that the tower was built in the middle of the Tagus and relocated to the shore following the 1755 earthquake, this is not the case. According to the Portuguese Ministry of Culture and the Institute of Architectural Heritage, the tower was built on a tiny island along the Tagus’s bank, opposite Restelo’s beach. As expansion stretched the shoreline, more and more of the northern bank sank into the Tagus, gradually integrating the tower into the riverbank.

The Belém Tower was constructed using a beige-white limestone found in the Lisbon area and environs known as Lioz. The structure is broken into two sections: the bastion and the four-story tower on the bastion’s north side.

The sixteenth-century tower is regarded as a masterpiece of the Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline architecture. This is particularly evident in its ornate rib vaulting, Order of Christ crosses, armillary spheres, and twisted rope, all of which are characteristic of the nautically inspired organic Manueline style.

Santa Maria de Belém, Lisbon GPS 38.691389°N 9.215833°W