Monastery of Alcobaça

The Monastery of Alcobaça, was built on the 12th century and became the main centre of the religious Cistercian Order, benefiting from the royal protection assured by the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques. It is considered the first exemplar of Gothic architecture in Portugal, with austere features, associated with the spiritual way of living of the Cistercian monks who populated the building and influenced the whole Alcobaça area.
The Monastery consists of several spaces, namely: the Church, the first entirely Gothic building in the country; the Cloister of Silence commissioned by King Dinis, (14th century), and medieval facilities (notably the Chapter House, the Refectory and the Monks' Room); the North Wing, where the Cardinal's Cloister, the old Abbey Palace, the Entrance Cloister and the Conclusion Room are located; in the South Wing, we can find the temporary exhibitions room, the Baroque nucleus, the Sacristy, dating from the 16th century and rebuilt in 1770, after the 1755 earthquake, the Reliquary Chapel and the Desterro Chapel.
Here is also where you can find the tombs of King Pedro I and Lady Inês de Castro, who lived one of Portugal's most notable and tragic love stories.
The medieval facilities, which are still preserved making the Monastery of Alcobaça unique in the world. These and other facts highly contributed to its inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1980.
In the Monastery there are several rooms that can be used for events, from small venues to large ones, with a capacity for 500 seats.