Founder's Chapel

Category: Religious Architecture > Church

District: Leiria > Batalha > Batalha

Location

The Founder's Chapel is located in the town of Batalha, a place with deep ties to the history of Portugal. This chapel is integrated into the right wing of the great national monument that dominates the local landscape, and its access is through the main façade. Its strategic position allows visitors to immediately grasp its importance upon arriving at the site.

A Vision Realized

The construction of the Founder's Chapel was not in the initial plans for the project with which it is associated, but was born from the determination of King John I. His desire was to create a unique pantheon for himself and his family, a space that would serve as the final resting place for the monarchs. This chapel thus became the first royal pantheon in Portugal exclusively dedicated to this function, a landmark of great historical significance. Its design and construction were overseen by master Huguet, and it was completed around 1433-1434.

Distinctive Architecture

The design of the Founder's Chapel reveals a remarkable architecture. It features a quadrangular base that transforms, in the center, into an elegant octagon. This central element is crowned by an elaborate star vault, a true masterpiece of Gothic technique, which rises like a symbolic canopy over the royal tombs. Natural light, entering through large windows and openings in the octagon, illuminates the interior diaphanously, highlighting the architectural details and sculptures. From the outside, the chapel is imposing with its homogeneous mass, with buttresses and windows that give rhythm to its free-standing walls.

The Resting Place of the Royals and the "Illustrious Generation"

At the heart of the chapel rest King John I and his queen, Philippa of Lancaster, in a magnificent Gothic tomb. Their recumbent statues, holding hands, symbolize the union and legacy of this couple. On the sides of the tomb, their mottos can be seen, and at the head, the cross of the Order of the Garter, of which King John I was a member. The chapel's walls also house the tombs of the couple's children, the "Illustrious Generation," as named by the poet Camões. Among them, the tombs of Prince Henry the Navigator, Prince Peter and his wife, and Prince Ferdinand stand out.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt