Video of the Batalha Monastery

At a distance of 12 km from Leiria, we find Batalha in the banks of the Lena River. The name and the history of the town are the history of its Monastery of “Santa Maria da Vitória” (St. Mary of the Victory). Three years had passed from August 14th 1385, the date of the Aljubarrota battle, when the Monastery’s construction began in fulfilment of the vow made by King John I to the Virgin Mary. The king had promised to build a monastery if he was successful in that historical battle. This was a decisive battle for the consolidation of the Portuguese independence.

the Monastery of Batalha

The Monastery, UNESCO’s World Heritage, was built not on the battlefield, but 3 km away, in the valley of the Lena River, to allow the presence of a monastic community. This magnificent building is the Portuguese final Gothic greatest monument, one of the first to receive “Manueline” art decoration and one of the most beautiful European churches of the late Middle Ages. The flamboyant art used in this monument marks the high point of the Gothic style and is a symbol of the late 15th century art. Not far from the entrance of the Monastery stands the Equestrian Monument of Nuno Álvares Pereira - Army Commander of the Kingdom. Dating from 1968, the statue honours the heroic commander that defeated an invading army three times its size, in the Aljubarrota Battle.