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Monastery of Saint Mary of Pombeiro

Monastery of Saint Mary of Pombeiro

Felgueiras, PT

Saint Mary of Pombeiro was one of the most important Benedictine monasteries in the area between the Douro and Minho rivers and was founded by D. Gomes Echiegues and his wife Gontroda in 1102. The Church, built between the 12th and 13th centuries, features three naves, divided by diaphragm-arches with painted wooden ceilings on the lateral naves. The original plant of the chancel, rebuilt in the 18th century, was semi-circular, typical of the Romanesque style, as were the still existing apses [secondary chapels]. The main portal capitals are a remarkable example of Romanesque sculpture. The two tombs with sculpture were part of the funerary centre sheltered in the now-vanished galilee, which was linked to the nobility of this territory, including families such as the Sousas or Sousões and the Ribavizelas. In the apses, there are two themes of mural painting: one probably representing Saint Blaise and another representing Saint Amarus and Saint Placidus. The image of the Patron featured in the main retable (the main altar) is possibly a Gothic-style work from between the 14th and 15th centuries. Much was altered between the 16th to 20th centuries: the Church received a set of rococo-style gilded wood, which was worked by the renowned friar José de Santo António Ferreira Vilaça.

Monastery of Saint Mary of Vila Boa do Bispo

Monastery of Saint Mary of Vila Boa do Bispo

Marco de Canaveses, PT

Located on a hillside on the left bank of the river Tâmega, Vila Boa do Bispo impresses by its monumentality. These dimensions can be explained by the importance that it held throughout the Medieval and Modern periods, emphasizing the attention given by the feudal power, including the lineage of the Gascos (or of the Ribadouros). Although profoundly changed in the Modern Era, the Romanesque traces help to understand the historical richness of this Monastery. In the main façade, the two blind arcades that flank the portal stand out as being very original and bearing a composition typical of the Romanesque found on the Braga-Rates axis. These and other elements scattered across the structure put this Romanesque building of Vila Boa do Bispo between the 12th and 13th centuries. It is likely that, given the existence of buttresses, the primitive chancel was both quadrangular and vaulted. Another element that recalls the medieval building and its link to the nobility of the region are the remaining tombs which indicate burials in the 13th and 14th centuries. The interior is marked by the Baroque spirit, which, through several techniques and materials, has created a particularly luminous and monumental space. Under the coffered ceiling of the chancel, a set of mural paintings was identified as being from the 16th century, thus emphasizing the culture of the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine.

Monastery of Saint Peter of Cête

Monastery of Saint Peter of Cête

Paredes, PT

The foundation of the Monastery of Saint Peter of Cête, traditionally attributed to the nobleman D. Gonçalo Oveques, dates back to the 10th century. It was restored between the end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 14th century at the will of the abbot D. Estevão Anes, evidence of which may be seen in the limestone inscription near his tomb. Only the first rows of the nave's walls and the south portal facing the cloister from the 10th-century building were kept and used. Despite the Gothic reformation, the Church has long borne witness to Romanesque shapes and construction. The bell tower shelters the restored burial chapel of D. Gonçalo Oveques, along with the chapter hall and the cloister of the Manueline period [15th-16th centuries].In 1551, the Monastery ceased to belong to the Order of Saint Benedict and was annexed to the College of the Grace of the Hermits of Saint Augustine in Coimbra. Highlighted inside the Monastery are the images of Saint Peter, Saint Lucia and Our Lady of Grace all in limestone, as well as the mural painting of Saint Sebastian which dates back to the 16th century.

Monastery of Saint Peter of Ferreira

Monastery of Saint Peter of Ferreira

Paços de Ferreira, PT

The Church of the Monastery of Saint Peter of Ferreira is one of the most expressive Portuguese Romanesque monuments. At the end of the 12th century, the clergymen of the Episcopal Cathedral of Porto held the rights to a portion of the Monastery, the remaining parts belonging to a few noble families, such as the Sousas [or Sousões] and the Maias. The main portal is embedded in the pentagonal body. Its pierced archivolts [circular combs] have been compared to both those on the Gate of the Bishop of the Cathedral of Zamora, the Church of Saint Martin of Salamanca, and decorative Arabic art in Seville from the second half of the 12th century. The Church of Ferreira gathers façades and sculptural motifs from several geographic origins and stonemasons' workshops: Zamora-Compostela, Coimbra-Porto and Braga-Unhão. One such motif is the representation of minstrels [artists] in one of the capitals of the chancel. Annexed to the main façade is the ruin of a funerary galilee, of which very few examples are left in Portugal. Two burial pieces remain in the Monastery: a tomb and its tombstone with a statue of nobleman João Vasques da Granja laying down, dressed as a pilgrim and holding a staff.

Monastery of Saint-Bonaventure

Monastery of Saint-Bonaventure

Visoko, BA

The monastery of Saint-Bonaventure dates back to 1900. A first Franciscan monastery was built in Mili near Visoko in 1340-41 after the establishment of the Bosnian Franciscan vicariate. It was demolished at the end of the 17th century after the passage of Eugene of Savoy in 1697. The Franciscans returned to Visoko two centuries later, in 1900. In that year a monastery and a church were built, designed by Ivan Holtz.

Monastery of San Antonio el Real

Monastery of San Antonio el Real

Segovia, ES

The monastery of San Antonio el Real is a monastic complex from the 15th century. The facade of the church is in Elizabethan Gothic style. It bears the coat of arms of King Henry IV (1454-1474), who ordered its construction and later donated it to the Franciscans. The monastery has been converted into a museum with a silver reliquary of Saint Anthony of Padua and several Flemish triptychs from the Utrecht school.

Monastery of San Benito de Alcantara

Monastery of San Benito de Alcantara

Alcantara, ES

This monastery was the former headquarters of the Alcantara military order and is still used today as an educational and research centre. It has elements of gothic, Renaissance, and Plateresque styles.

Monastery of San Pablo del Campo

Monastery of San Pablo del Campo

Barcelona, ES

The Monastery of San Pablo del Campo, believed to have been founded in the 9th century, is one of the best preserved Romanesque buildings in Barcelona. In 1672, a novitiate was established, which had previously been in Lleida, giving the monastery its heyday. The community definitively left San Pablo del Campo in 1835 with the Spanish government's seizure and sale of property, including from the Catholic Church. In 1842 it was converted into a school and between 1855 and 1890 it became a military barracks. In 1879 it was declared a National Monument. The complex was damaged during the Tragic Week of 1909 and in 1936. Since then, several restorations have been carried out.

Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova

Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova

Coimbra, PT

The Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova (Saint Clare the New) was built in the 17th century to replace the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha (Saint Clare the Old) which was frequently affected by the flooding of the Mondego River.

Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha

Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha

Coimbra, PT

The Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha was founded in the 14th century on the banks of the Modego River. Today, the complex is in ruins but has been adapted to receive visitors.

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