Inside the Church at Alcobaça Monastery
The Alcobaça Monastery is dominated by a very impressive church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The official name of the monastery is Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaça which is thankfully shortened to Mosteiro de Alcobaça or Alcobaça Monastery. It is considered to be the largest church in Portugal though from the outside it doesn’t seem to be so. The facade of the church intricately decorated and the sun just helps to highlight the beauty of the structure. There are two towers which are considered baroque in design. I was expecting the entrance of the church to be richly decorated but it wasn’t as elaborate at the other parts. Entrance to the church is, of course, free of charge. This is still an active church after all.
High Vaulted Ceilings of the Church at Alcobaça Monastery
Upon entry into the church, I was surprised to see the full gothicness of the church. There was the typical very tall columns which are representative of gothic architecture. This is supposed to give the feeling of grandeur. Although it is was a gothic church, I was surprised to see how bright it was inside. I expect gothic churches to be dark all the time but this is probably the first time I have seen one which isn’t dark. Perhaps what is most striking about this church is how empty it felt. It was almost like most of the seats were removed and only a few were left near the altar. This is probably a common theme these days where there are less people going to church. In the end, the church now feels like a shell of itself and it is probably mostly a tourist attraction now for visitors like me.
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