Batalha Monastery
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How it came to be
In 1385 King João I of Portugal defeated the Castilian army at Aljubarrota and secured his kingdom's independence. Batalha is the Dominican monastery he built to fulfil a vow made before that victory. The church was finished in 1416, and most of the Royal Cloister, the Chapter House and the Founder's Chapel went up during João I's reign (1385-1433).
The Portuguese architect Afonso Domingues designed the first cloister, the church and the Founder's Chapel. The chapel, an octagon set within a square, holds the tombs of João I, Queen Philippa of Lancaster and their sons, among them Prince Henry the Navigator. The roofless Unfinished Chapels are counted among the finest examples of the Manueline style, named after King Manuel I (reigned 1495-1521).
The monastery was damaged in the earthquake of 1755 and sacked by French troops in 1810. It was secularised in 1834, declared a national monument in 1840 and restored step by step. A guard of honour has stood at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Chapter House since 9 April 1921. Batalha was inscribed in 1983.
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