The first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, lays the foundation stone for the Mosteiro de Santa Maria at Alcobaça, Centro, Portugal, the Cistercian royal monastery he founded in 1153. Traditional glazed blue and white azulejos tiles in the Sala dos Reis or Room of the Kings.
Alcobaça, Centro, Portugal: traditional glazed blue and white azulejos tiles painted in the 1700s depict the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques or Afonso I, laying the foundation stone for the Mosteiro de Santa Maria, the Cistercian royal monastery he founded in 1153 to give thanks for a victory over the Moors. The artwork is among several tiled compositions on the walls of the Sala dos Reis or Room of the Kings that relate the monastery’s history. The room, next to the entrance to the monastery church, was added to the monastic complex in the 1500s. It houses 19 statues from the 17th and 18th centuries of the kings of Portugal, as well as an allegorical representation of the coronation of Afonso Henriques that includes Pope Alexander III and St Bernard. The monastery is the burial place of many of Portugal’s monarchs. The last Cistercian monk left in 1834 when the monastery was dissolved and it is now open to the public. The entire monastic complex enjoys protection as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Size: 7209px × 4811px
Location: Alcobaça, Centro, Portugal.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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