The ruins of the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha (Old St. Clare) are located in the city of Coimbra , in Portugal. The monastery was built in the 14th century on the left bank of the Mondego River , but had to be abandoned in the 17th century due to frequent floods. The well-preserved Gothic ruins of the monastery were excavated in the late 20th century, more than 300 years after being abandoned by the nuns.
34-676: Montemor-o-Velho ( Portuguese pronunciation: [mõtɨˈmɔɾ u ˈvɛʎu] ) is a town and municipality of the Coimbra District , in Portugal. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 26,171, in an area of 228.96 km². In 711, the Arab occupation of the Iberian Peninsula began. Montemor-o-Velho, a fluvial-maritime port of great importance at the time, was the target of conquests and reconquests throughout
68-694: A higher point than the other. To annoy the Majorcans, those from Montemor shouted: "Monte... Mor! (Major... Hill!)", to which the Majorcan's retorted "Maior... Cá! (Bigger... Here!)". The fact is that in 1212 the town was called Mons Maiores or Montis Maioris, to which -o-Velho was added when king Sancho I of Portugal rebuilt the Alentejo town of Montemor-o-Novo . Already in the period of nationality, Sancho I left Montemor-o-Velho in testament to his daughter, Teresa , who, with her sister Sancha , gave charter to
102-474: A new charter ( foral ) to Montemor-o-Velho; this document is of particular importance for the analysis of the way of life of the people of Montemor at the beginning of the 16th century. It is also at this time that there was an important change in the local economy due to the introduction of maize corn in the fields of the Mondego, brought from The Americas , which led to an era of prosperity that lasted until
136-461: Is famed for its rich tradition in conventual sweets manufacturing which includes the nationally-renowned pastel de Tentúgal and the queijada de Pereira . Montemor-o-Velho has one of the only international sized 2 km rowing lakes in Portugal. The lake hosted its first rowing race in 2002 (the Coupe de la Jeunesse ), before it was completed. During the competition, FISA judges noted that
170-633: Is responsible principally for auditing the activities of the executive branch. Its members are elected by population and proportionally by civil parishes, using the same schema as the executive (by universal direct suffrage with or without political parties), but also represented by the presidents of the juntas de freguesia ( civil parish council presidents ). Though a unitary state, the Portuguese model governance has undergone periods of centralized and decentralized tendencies: Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha The ruined church recently reopened to
204-606: Is the Portuguese-language term for municipality , referring to the territorial subdivision in local government . In comparison, the word município ( Portuguese pronunciation: [muniˈsipiu] ) refers to the organs of State . This differentiation is still in use in Portugal and some of its former overseas provinces, but is no longer in use in Brazil following the abolition of these organs, in favour of
238-646: The Câmara Municipal ( Municipal Chamber ), its executive organ and by the Assembleia Municipal ( Municipal Assembly ), its deliberative body. The Câmara is the executive body that is charged with governing the territory and policies of the region. Owing to population, the municipal chamber can comprise a number of alderman (normally between 5 and 17) elected by lists, using direct, universal suffragan vote, based with or without political parties. The municipal assembly, sometimes parliament ,
272-580: The castle of Montemor-o-Velho , and its government is given to Froila Gonçalves , a descendant of the Portucalense count Gonçalo Moniz . This was dislodged during the reign of Alfonso V of León , by Mendo Luz , who recovered it for the Christians, later passing it on to Gonçalo Vieigas . In 1026 the Arabs conquered Montemor-o-Velho again, and in 1034 Gonçalo Trastamires recovered it again for
306-554: The 20th century. After 1995, a large archaeological campaign led by the Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico cleared the mud and water from the ruins, which were found to be in a remarkable good state of conservation. The excavations allowed for the recovery of a large number of architectural and decorative fragments and a better understanding of the monastery plan. In 2006 the building of an interpretation centre and new tours were estimated at 27 million euro and
340-531: The 9th to the 12th centuries: in 848 the first Christian reconquest of Montemor was made by king Ramiro I of León , who gave the castle to abbot João, who resisted in the same year the siege made by the caliph of Córdoba Abd al-Rahman II . In 878 Afonso III the Great occupied Coimbra and proceeded to repopulate the Mondego line; on December 2, 990 there was another onslaught of Arabs led by Almançor , who take
374-483: The Christians, becoming its governor. After new Arab attacks, Fernando Magno , in 1064, definitively conquers Coimbra and the Mondego line, giving its government to Count D. Sisnando Davides , a Mozarab native of a settlement located in the vicinity of Montemor-o-Velho called Tentúgal . Raimundo , ruler of Galicia, personally governing Coimbra, gave a letter of settlement to Montemor in February 1095. At this time
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#1732776217647408-512: The French prefecture system. It is similar to borough and council . After the civil parish ( Portuguese : freguesias ), the Portuguese concelho is the most stable territorial subdivision within the country, with over 900 years of history. Founded in the royal charters attributed to parcels and territorial enclaves, in order to establish a presence by the Crown, rather than personal fiefdoms of
442-534: The Queen, of which only ruins remain, was located near the monastery. The works sponsored by the Queen started in 1316 on the same spot of the previous foundation and gave rise to the ensemble that exists today. The first architect associated with the monastery was Domingos Domingues, who had worked on the cloisters of the Monastery of Alcobaça . His work was continued after 1326 by Estêvão Domingues, who had worked on
476-468: The beginning of the 17th century and continued into the 18th century; in 1771 Figueira da Foz , in the Atlantic coast, was elevated to town and, consequently, the importance of Montemor diminished. With the introduction of rice cultivation in the beginning of the 19th century, there is a new development surge. Indeed, the production did not stop increasing, becoming one of the main sources of wealth of
510-456: The church has three chapels of polygonal shape, the central chapel being the largest. The central chapel has lost its stone roof and used to be illuminated by three windows. A portal on the South façade of the church connects it with the cloister ruins, which have been preserved up to the level of the double columns of the arches. The capitals are decorated with vegetable motifs. Also visible are
544-472: The church was decorated with Sevillian tiles and several painted altarpieces . Around 1612, as the river flooded the monastery every year, the nuns built an elevated pavement in the church halfway to the roof. Finally, in 1647, as the frequent floods made life in the monastery impossible, King John IV ordered the nuns to abandon the structure. The last nuns left the ensemble in 1677, as a new monastery, called Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova (New St. Clare)
578-472: The cloisters of Lisbon Cathedral . The church was consecrated in 1330 and shows the influence of the Alcobaça building in its floorplan and many other architectural details. Elizabeth died in 1336 and was buried in the monastery in an impressive Gothic tomb. A large cloister was built to the south side of the church within the same 14th century. Already in 1331 the monastery and church had been flooded by
612-429: The county took the almost definitive form: the parishes of Verride, Santo Varão, Cadima and Tentúgal were extinct and the parishes of Arazede, Liceia, Pereira, Santo Varão, Reveles, Verride, Vila Nova da Barca, Meãs do Campo and Tentúgal were integrated in the county. In 1928 the parish of Abrunheira was created (by extinguishing Reveles), in 1943 the parish of Gatões was created (by dismembering Seixo de Gatões) and in 1984
646-642: The lake was not wide enough to meet international standards. After then, it was rebuilt to meet these standards. It hosted the 2010 European Rowing Championships . Since 2014, the city hosts the Festival Forte that takes place inside Montemor-o-Velho Castle , in August, with the main focus on electronic music, visual and performing arts. This Coimbra location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Concelho Concelho ( Portuguese pronunciation: [kõˈseʎu] )
680-568: The lid and is by Aragonese sculptor Mestre Pero. Many works of art of the monastery are now in the Machado de Castro Museum in Coimbra. Painted altarpieces include a triptych [1] of circa 1486 about the life of Clare of Assisi and a painted triptych commissioned to Flemish painter Quentin Metsys in 1517 [2] . Others pieces of sculpture [3] and metalwork [4] in the museum testify to
714-416: The municipality of Montemor-o-Velho (in 1923, the production in 466 ha was 700,000 kg and in 1934 in 1,423 ha it was 2,135,000 kg). In 1826 the municipality was made up of the parishes of Alfarelos, Brunhós, Carapinheira, Figueiró do Campo, Gatões, Gesteira, Granja do Ulmeiro, Liceia, Vila Nova da Barca, Alcáçova, S. Miguel, S. Salvador, S. Martinho and Madalena. With the administrative restructuring of 1853,
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#1732776217647748-494: The nave and groin vault in the side aisles. The structure of the columns of the nave also resembles Alcobaça. The nave is illuminated by tall mullioned windows of Gothic design and three rose windows . Unlike Alcobaça, the church of Santa Clara lacks a prominent transept . The nave used to be divided in two parts, one of public access and the other reserved for the nuns, separated by a dividing wall. An elevated choir , now lost, used to house Queen Isabel's tomb. The apse of
782-437: The nearby Mondego River . The site of the foundation proved to be unsuitable, as the monastery was repeatedly invaded by the waters of the river in the following centuries. The nuns of the monastery responded by elevating the floor levels of the monastic buildings to reduce the damage caused by the floods. In spite of the problems, the monastery was frequently enriched by donations. In the early 16th century, under King Manuel I ,
816-467: The nobility and aristocracy. This municipal institution changed throughout history: many were abolished and reconstituted based on the political necessity; first they were subject to the specifics of each charter (which varied based on conditions and circumstances), and then based on national laws established during the Liberal era. Today, the municipalities are governed by the municípios , constituted by
850-592: The parish of Ereira was created (by dismembering Verride). Administratively, the municipality is divided into 11 civil parishes ( freguesias ): The municipality of Montemor-o-Velho, in the Baixo Mondego river basin , has been an important agricultural and animal husbandry center. Rice, corn, cattle and horses are important productions in the area. Light industry , tourism, forestry, retail, services and local government are among other main economic activities. The municipality, which hosts dozens of bakeries,
884-607: The people, and went on to Coimbra where he was acclaimed king by the Cortes . João I granted the lordship to his son Peter , who stayed there for some time. King João II of Portugal , by testament of September 29, 1495, donated Coimbra as a dukedom to his natural son, Jorge , including in the donation Montemor-o-Velho, which will remain in the House of the Dukes of Aveiro until 1759. On August 20, 1516, king Manuel I of Portugal gave
918-549: The project completed in April 2009. The floorplan of the church of the Monastery of Santa Clara reveals the influence of the Monastery of Alcobaça . The church nave has a nave and two aisles and is fully covered with stone vaulting , something rare in mendicant monastic foundations in Portugal, which usually used wooden roofs over the nave. Another influence of Alcobaça is seen in the vault types: pointed barrel vault in
952-560: The public after 12 years of restorations with a new visitor center. The Monastery of Santa Clara of Coimbra was founded in the 1280s by Mor Dias as a house of the Order of the Poor Clares . This early monastery was dissolved in 1311, but in 1314 it was refounded by Queen Elizabeth , wife of King Denis of Portugal . Elizabeth was admired for her pious and charitable nature, and her devotion led to her canonisation in 1626. The palace of
986-592: The remains of a Gothic fountain with a circular basin. The excavations also revealed the foundations of the chapter house , refectory, a smaller cloister and the old palace of Queen Elizabeth. During the centuries the monastery and church were decorated with religious works of art that are now dispersed. The Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova , to which the nuns were relocated in the 17th century, houses three Gothic tombs which were also relocated from Santa Clara-a-Velha, including that of Queen Isabel. Her tomb, dated from circa 1330, displays her full-size recumbent figure over
1020-539: The river was the border between the Christian north and the Arab south, and a line of fortifications was built that included the castles of Avô , on the river Alva , Penacova , Lousã , Coimbra , Penela , Soure and Montemor . There is a curious popular legend about the origin of Montemor. It tells that a deep rivalry opposed the inhabitants of Montemor and Maiorca , because each one considered his land to be placed at
1054-436: The seventeenth century. The county's development was then based on three population centers: Montemor-o-Velho, Pereira and Tentúgal. In their fields, besides corn, linen and wheat were produced, cattle and horses were raised, manors were built, churches and convents were remodeled. From this period stand out the figures of Diogo de Azambuja , Fernão Mendes Pinto and Jorge de Montemor . The decadence seems to have started in
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1088-648: The village in May of 1212. It grew, following a demographic boom throughout the Lower Mondego , with the consequent clearing of new land for cultivation and creation of new settlements, as can be seen in the toponymy which records numerous Casais and Póvoas . Besides the royal lords, the lands of the concelho (municipality) were distributed by the main ecclesiastic institutions of the region ( Monastery of Santa Cruz of Coimbra , Monastery of Santa Clara , Monastery of Lorvão ). King Afonso III of Portugal donated
1122-460: The village to his daughter, Branca, abbess of Huelgas and Lorvão . It was in the castle citadel that king Afonso IV of Portugal and his advisors met on January 6, 1355, to decide the fate of Inês de Castro . They left on the following day to execute the plan. After the siege of Torres Novas , the Master of Avis , João , passed through Montemor-o-Velho, where he received the honors of the mayor and
1156-472: Was built on a hill nearby. The Gothic tombs of Queen Isabel and other royal princesses were transferred to the new building. As the centuries passed, the old monastery fell into ruin and became partially covered by the marshes of the Mondego River . Its historical and architectural importance led to it being declared a National Monument in 1910, and some conservation works were done in the first half of
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