Alcobaça, Silver Coast Portugal

Alcobaça, situated on Portugal's Silver Coast, derived it's name from the two valleys in which it is situated - Alcoa and Baca.

The town of Alcobaça is perhaps most famous for the imposing UNESCO listed monastery which dominates the centre of the historic town.

The monastery - Mosteiro de Santa Maria - was constructed at the bequest of Portugal's first king, Afonso who donated the land to the Cistercian monks after defeating the Moors in Santarem.

Construction on the monastery began in the late 12th century and concluded in the mid 13th century. The huge edifice was modelled on an earlier example in Clairvaux.

Today the building seems out of proportion in it's setting, however at the height of it's use it was home to more than 900 monks, who farmed and cultivated the land around the fledgling town in the middle ages.

Inside the gothic building there are hundreds of reminders of it's links with the Knights Templars. Masonry marks litter the stone columns in the monastery's principal hall. Although the abbey of Alcobaça is no longer in use, it still attracts thousands of visitors each year.

The monastery is the heart of the historic centre of the town and today the square surrounding the building is lined with a wide range of cafes and restaurants keen to take advantage of the impressive view.

The town itself is traditional in design with the historic centre a maze of cobble streets. Larger, more modern shops are situated on the outskirts of town in industrial zones.

Map of Alcobaça