Showing posts with label Portugal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Portugal. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Portugal - Braga


Bom Jesus - Braga (Portugal)
Sanctuary and staircase.

Sent by Joana from Lisbon, Portugal.

Braga (Portuguese pronunciation: ['bɾaɣɐ]), is a city in the municipality of Braga in northwestern Portuguese district of Braga, considered the oldest Christian archdiocese in the country and one of the oldest in the world. Under the Roman Empire, known asBracara Augusta, the settlement was centre of the province of Gallaecia.
With a total urban population of 175,063 inhabitants, Braga is the third-largest city in Portugal (after Lisbon and Porto), including the city and suburban parishes; the municipality, which includes 62 parishes, has a population in 2011 of approximately 181,819 inhabitants (the seventh largest municipality in Portugal by population). Its agglomerated urban area extends from the Cavado Riverto the Easte River. Braga is also the seat of the Greater Metropolitan Area of Minho, which includes a population of 826,833 (2007 statistics), considered one of the fastest growing urban areas in the European Union.
In 2012, the city was awarded with the title European Youth Capital 2012. (read further)


Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Portugal - Monastery of Batalha


Monastery of Batalha.

Sent by Vitória, a postcrosser from Lisbon, Portugal.


Constructed in fulfilment of a vow by King João to commemorate the victory over the Castilians at Aljubarrota (15 August 1385), the Dominican monastery of Batalha is one of the great masterpieces of Gothic art. The majority of the monumental complex dates from the reign of João I, when the church (finished in 1416), the royal cloister, the chapter-house, and the funeral chapel of the founder were constructed.
Following a brief interruption, work was begun again under King Duarte on the prolongation of the choir, the construction of his funerary chapel and that of his descendants, a spacious edifice based an octagonal plan that the death of the king in 1438 left unfinished. The design has been attributed to the English architect Master Huguet. The chapel's floor plan consists of an octagonal space inserted inside a square, creating two separate volumes that combine most harmoniously. The ceiling consists of an eight-point star-shaped lantern. The most dramatic feature is to be found in the centre of the chapel: the enormous medieval tomb of Dom João I and his wife, Queen Philippa of Lancaster, the first tomb for husband and wife made in Portugal, on which are carved the coats of arms of the Houses of Avis and Lancaster. Bays in the chapel walls contain the tombs of their sons, among them Prince Henry the Navigator.
The main entrance of the church is through the porch on the west facade. On both sides of this portal are sculptures of the twelve apostles standing on consoles. In the centre is a high relief statue of Christ in Majesty surrounded by the Evangelists, framed by six covings decorated with sculptures of biblical kings and queens, prophets and angels holding musical instruments from the Middle Ages. This great profusion of sculptures is completed by the crowning of the Virgin Mary.
The church's interior refers back to the period of sober Gothic majesty that has remained undisturbed by later additions. The nave and aisles are separated by thick pillars crowned by capitals with plant motifs. The chancel windows, decorated with beautiful 16th century stained-glass windows representing the Visitation, the Adoration of the Magi, the Flight into Egypt and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, project a diffused light that gives the church a feeling of great spirituality.
The last great period of Batalha coincided with the reign of Manuel I, who built the monumental vestibule and the principal portal, and restored the royal cloister, built in the reign of Dom João I. The arches overlooking the garden were built later and are embellished with finely carved tracery displaying the emblems of Dom Manuel I, the Cross of the Order of Christ and the armillary sphere. In the galleries are doors leading to the various rooms of the former monastery, beginning with the large Chapter House, a marvellous example of the pointed arches of Gothic architecture, in which the enormous vaulted ceiling has no central supports.
As a monument charged with a symbolic value from its foundation, the convent of Batalha was, for more than two centuries, the great workshop of the Portuguese monarchy. It is not surprising that the roost characteristic features of a national art would have been determined there, during both the Gothic and the Renaissance periods. Batalha is the conservatory of several privileged expressions of Portuguese art: the sober and audacious architectural style of the end of the 14th century, with the stupendous nave of the abbatial, of which the two-storey elevation, whit broad arcades and high windows, renders more impressive its dimensions; the exuberant aesthetic of the capelas imperfeitas; the marvellous flamboyant arcades embroidered in a lace-work of stone: the Manueline Baroque even more perceptible in the openwork decor of the tracery of the arcades of the royal cloister than on the immense portal attributed to Mateus Fernandes the Elder; and finally, the hybrid style of João de Castilho, architect of the loggia constructed under João III.




Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Portugal - Animals Motiff On Tiles



LISBOA : Azulejos do século XVII. Museu Nacional do Azulejo.
Sent by Catia, a postcrosser from Portugal.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Portugal - The Cock of Barcelos


PORTUGAL
The famous legend of the Cockerel of Barcelos/14th Century.
This legend reminds us how the teruly innocent are never silenced and forever proclaim their innocence.

Sent by Vera, a postcrosser from Lisbon, Portugal.

Note : Click the postcard to read the written story.

This is from Wikipedia : The Rooster of Barcelos (Portuguese, "Galo de Barcelos") is one of the most common emblems of Portugal.

The legend of the Rooster of Barcelos tells the story of a dead rooster's miraculous intervention in proving the innocence of a man who had been falsely accused and sentenced to death. The story is associated with the 17th-century calvary that is part of the collection of the Archeological Museum located in Paço dos Condes, a gothic-style palace in Barcelos, a city in the Braga District of northwest Portugal.

According to the legend, silver had been stolen from a landowner in Barcelos, and the inhabitants of that city were looking for the criminal who had committed the crime. One day, a man from neighboring Galicia turned up and became suspect, despite his pleas of innocence. The Galician swore that he was merely passing through Barcelos on a Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela to complete a promise.

Nevertheless, the authorities arrested the Galician and condemned him to hang. The man asked them to take him in front of the judge who had condemned him. The authorities honored his request and took him to the house of the magistrate, who was holding a banquet with some friends. Affirming his innocence, the Galician pointed to a roasted rooster on top of the banquet table and exclaimed, "It is as certain that I am innocent as it is certain that this rooster will crow when they hang me." The judge pushed aside his plate because he decided to not eat the rooster. But still, the judge ignored the Galician's appeal.

However, while the pilgrim was being hanged, the roasted rooster stood up on the table and crowed as the Galician predicted. Understanding his error, the judge ran to the gallows, only to discover that the Galician had been saved from hanging thanks to a poorly made knot in the rope. The man was immediately freed and sent off in peace.

Some years later, the Galician returned to Barcelos to sculpt the Calvary (or Crucifix) to the Lord of the Rooster (Portuguese, "Cruzeiro do Senhor do Galo") in praise to the Virgin Mary and to Saint James. The monument is located in the Archeological Museum of Barcelos.

Portugal - Visen - Knight's Door


VISEU
Knight's Door

Sent by Miguel, a postcrosser from Viseu, Portugal.


Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Portugal - Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém (2)


Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon.

Sent by Tatiana, a postcrosser from Portugal.


Saturday, October 29, 2011

Portugal - Historic Centre of Guimarães


Guimarães
Nossa Senhora da Oliveira Church (Colegiada)

Sent by Paula, a postcrosser from Portugal.

The early history of Guimarães is closely associated with the establishment of Portuguese national identity and the Portuguese language in the 12th century. Guimarães is of considerable significance by virtue of the fact that specialized building techniques developed there in the Middle Ages were transmitted to Portuguese colonies in Africa and the New World, becoming their characteristic feature. It is an exceptionally well-preserved town illustrating the evolution of particular building types from the medieval settlement to the present-day city, and particularly in the 15th-19th centuries.

Guimarães dominates the fertile plain that extends towards the sea. It is situated on the most important medieval communication routes connecting Monçao and Braga with Viseu and Caminha, the seat of the Portuguese Counts from the 10th century. This urban settlement developed as a result of two forces, a monastery in the south valley, and a fort on the north hill, surrounded by two rivers, until they were brought together within a single enclosure.
The historic centre is formed by a large number of stone constructions (950-1498). The period from Renaissance to neoclassicism is characterized by noble houses and the development of civic facilities, city squares, etc. The eclectic and industrial periods and modern expansion (1926 until today) include some changes, although the town has maintained its medieval urban layout. The systems and building types have evolved over time. The residential buildings are characterized by the use of two construction techniques, one dating from before the 16th century (taipa de rodízio ), a half-timbered structure, which mixed granite with a structure in timber and a filling of sun-dried brick, using clay mortar. The other (taipa de fasquio ), which came into use in the 19th century and is still practised today, was entirely in timber. From here this technology was exported to other parts of the world.
The monuments include the medieval castle, built on the site of the first fort of the 10th century. The present construction was built from stone, begun at the time of Afonso I and continued with various modifications in the following centuries. The building is an austere crenellated structure with towers, designed for defence. Part of it was demolished in the 18th century and since then it has been subject to restorations. Close to the castle, there is a small Romanesque church, São Miguel do Castelo, ruined in the 19th century and restored in the 1920s. The church of Nossa Senhora da Oliveira was founded in the 12th century on the site where the first monastery had existed some three centuries earlier. It was completely renovated from 1387 to 1413, with three naves and a wooden roof structure, according to the Portuguese Gothic model. The cloister was added in the 16th century and the present sanctuary to the church in the 17th.
The Palace of the Dukes of Bragança is a large complex built from stone down the hill from the castle. The first construction dates from 1420-22, most probably under French influence. The building was conceived as a symbol of the pride of the Bragança family. The building underwent various vicissitudes, serving as a military headquarters in the late 19th century. The Town Hall, in the square in front of the church of Nossa Senhora, dates mainly from the 16th and 17th centuries. The palace, primarily in stone, has one main floor with large doors opening to a balcony along the main facade. The ground floor is characterized by open arcades. In the same square, in front of the church, there is also a 14th-century Gothic arch, a monument commemorating the victory of Dom Afonso IV in the battle of Padrão do Salado.
The bourgeois houses of the 16th century have a ground floor in granite and the upper floors are built using the half-timbered structure of taipa de rodízio . The houses of noble families have often been an modification of a previous structure, and generally have their elevations built from granite as a sign of distinction. The typical houses of the 17th century continued using the same construction technique (granite in the ground floor and half-timbered structure in the upper floors - usually three). Another type of house of the same century was built with a peristyle and arcaded ground floor, and is usually found in public squares. (Source)


Thursday, October 20, 2011

Monday, September 19, 2011

Portugal - Historic Centre of Oporto (4)


Historical part of town called Ribeira in Porto, Portugal. The place is within the Historic Center of Oporto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sent by Liliana, a postcrosser from Porto, Portugal.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Friday, July 8, 2011

Portugal - Historic Centre of Oporto (2)


PORTO
Rabelos Boats
Batalha Square
Port Wine Cellars
Church

Sent by Maria, a postcrosser near Lisbon, Portugal.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Portugal - Monastery of Alcobaça


Alcobaça - Portugal.
Monastery of Alcobaça, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sent by Carlos, a postcrosser from Portugal.

By virtue of its magnificent dimensions, the clarity of the architectural style, the beauty of the material used and the care with which it was built, the Cistercian Monastery of Santa Maria d'Alcobaça is a masterpiece of Gothic Cistercian art. It bears witness to the spread of an aesthetic style that developed in Burgundy at the time of St Bernard and to the survival of the ascetic ideal which characterized the order's early establishments such as Fontenay. The tombs of Dom Pedro and Doña Inés de Castro are among the most beautiful of Gothic funerary sculptures.

The monastery is also an outstanding example of a great Cistercian establishment with a unique infrastructure of hydraulic systems and functional buildings. Deservedly renowned, the 18th-century kitchen adds to the interest of the group of monastic buildings from the medieval period (cloister and lavabo, chapter room, parlour, dormitory, the monks' room and the refectory).
The founding of the monastery is intimately linked with the beginnings of the Portuguese monarchy. When Afonso Henriques was proclaimed King Afonso I in 1139, he based his political reconquest on the Crusaders - cruelly present in Lisbon in 1147 - and on religious orders. Alcobaça was given to the Cistercians in recognition of the victory of Santarém (1152) with the understanding that they would colonize and work the surrounding lands. The White Monks were already well established by 1153, the year of the death of St Bernard of Clairvaux, Alcobaça was, thus, the last of the saint's 'offspring' during his lifetime.
Despite an offensive led by Al-Mansoor at the end of the 12th century, the royal establishment began to prosper. In the 13th century, while the abbey church, laid out similarly to Pontigny, and beautiful monastic buildings were under construction, the abbey's intellectual and political influence had already spread throughout the western part of the Iberian Peninsula. It was a centre of study and religious doctrine (the kingdom's most important monastic school was there) and it enjoyed a wealthy congregation. The abbot was a powerful ecclesiastical lord whose authority extended over the fertile lands, 13 towns, four seaports and two castles. Later, from the reign of João I to that of João IV, the abbot was appointed by the king and became a member of the Council, Grand Almoner, and Lord Protector of the Border. A number of enhancements underscored the exceptional character of this royal establishment: the Manueline sacristy of the Infante Dom Afonso, named Abbot of Alcobaça in 1505, the upper cloister of João do Castilho, one of the architects of the Convent of the Hieronymites of Belém, the facade and main part of the Baroque lodgings of Friar João Turriano (1702), and the King's Room. The ultimate symbol of this privileged relationship with the Portuguese monarchy is found in the famous tombs of Inés de Castro and Dom Pedro (Peter I). He commissioned the twin tombs after the dramatic event that would later inspire Camoëns, Velez de Guevara and so many other contemporary authors and filmmakers. There the avenging king and his murdered queen are buried. The design of a high sarcophagus supporting the giants watched over by angels, frequently used in the 14th century, here finds one of its most perfect artistic expressions. The stylistic quality of the sculptured ornaments, even with the restoration necessitated after Napoleon's troops mutilated them in 1810-11, is surpassed by the compelling symbolism of the iconography which evokes human destiny, death and the Christian hope of eternal life. Built around 1360, the tombs are the tangible sign of Peter I's mystical rehabilitation of Inés, assassinated at Coimbra on the orders of his father Afonso IV. (Source)


Friday, June 3, 2011

Portugal - "Sete Saias"/""Seven Skirts"


Nazaré
"Sete Saias"/"Seven Skirts"
Costa de Prata
PORTUGAL

Sent by Isabel, a postcrosser from Nazaré in Portugal.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Portugal - Algarve


Algarve : Ruin of an ancient monastery.

Sent by Carlos, a postcrosser from Faro, Portugal.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Portugal - Cultural Landscape of Sintra (4)


Castelo dos Mouros or Castle of the Moors, a part of Cultural Landscape of Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sent by Silvia, a postcrosser from Germany.


Thursday, April 28, 2011

Portugal - Historic Centre of Évora


Alentejo
Historic Centre of Évora.

Sent by Vitoria, a postcrosser from Portugal.

Évora is the finest example of a city of the golden age of Portugal after the destruction of Lisbon by the earthquake of 1755. The cityscape of Évora demonstrates the influence exerted by Portuguese architecture in Brazil, in sites such as Salvador de Bahia.

It is the capital of Alentejo Province and one of the tourist attractions of the south. In spite of sharp population growth which has led to the construction of new quarters to the west, south and east, this museum city has retained all of its traditional charm inside the Vauban-style wall built in the 17th century according to the plans of Nicolas de Langres, a French engineer. The rural landscape to the north has remained virtually unchanged.
Évora has been shaped by some 20 centuries of history, going as far back as Celtic times. It fell under Roman domination, when it was called Liberalitas Julia and, among other ruins, still retains those of the Temple of Diana. During the Visigothic period, the Christian city occupied the surface area surrounded by the Roman wall, which was then reworked. Under Moorish domination, which came to an end in 1165, further improvements were made to the original defensive system as shown by a fortified gate and the remains of the ancient Kasbah. Moreover, the toponymy is indicative of the Maghreb population, which remained after the reconquest in the La Mouraria quarter of the north-east.
There are a number of buildings from the medieval period, the best known of which is unquestionably the cathedral, begun in 1186 and essentially completed in the 13th-14th centuries. It was in the 15th century, however, when the Portuguese kings began living there on an increasingly regular basis, that Évora 's golden age began. At that time, convents and royal palaces sprang up everywhere: St Claire Convent, the royal church and convent of São Francisco, not far from the royal palace of the same name, Os Lóios Convent with the São João Evangelista Church. These splendid monuments, which were either entirely new buildings or else constructed within already existing establishments, are characterized by the Manueline style which survived in the major creations of the 16th century: Palace of the Counts of Basto, built on the site of the Alcazar, and the Church of the Knights of Calatrava, the convents of Carmo and da Graça, Santo Antão, Santa Helena do Monte Calvario, etc.
The 16th century was a time of major urban planning as demonstrated by the ancient style: Agua da Prata aqueduct built in 1537 by Francisco de Arruda and the many fountains that remain (la Praça do Geraldo is the best known). It also marked the beginning of Évora's intellectual and religious influence. The University of the Holy Spirit, where the Jesuits taught from 1553, played a role in the south which was comparable to that of Coimbra in the north of the kingdom. Moreover, Évora began a rapid decline following the expulsion of the Company of Jesus by the Minister, Pombal, in 1759. Évora is also interesting for reasons other than its monumental heritage related to significant historic events and royal orders. This interest also goes beyond the many 16th-century patrician houses (Cordovil house, the house of Garcia de Resende). In fact, the unique quality of the city arises from the coherence of the minor architecture of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, which finds its overall expression in the form of myriad low whitewashed houses, covered with tile roofs or of terraces which line narrow streets whose layout is of medieval configuration in the old city centre and which in other areas bears witness to the concentric growth of the town until the 17th century.
Wrought iron and azulejo decoration, which is splendid in the convents and palaces and very charming in the most humble dwellings, serves to strengthen the fundamental unity of a type of architecture which is perfectly adapted to the climate and the site. (Source)

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Portugal - Viana do Castelo


PORTUGAL
Viana do Castelo
Northern side of the "Praça da República".

Sent by Marília, a postcrosser from Portugal.

This is from Wikipedia : The district of Viana do Castelo (Portuguese pronunciation: [viˈɐnɐ du kɐʃˈtɛlu]) is a district located in the northwest of Portugal, bordered by Spain from the north and Braga District from the south. It has an area of 2,255 km² and a population of 252,011 (2006), for a density of 111.8 inhabitants/km². The district capital is the city of Viana do Castelo.



Saturday, January 15, 2011

Portugal - Alfagar


Alfagar
Apartado 866, Balaia, 8200-912 Albufeira, Portugal.

Sent by Mieke, a Swap-Bot partner from the Netherlands.