Convent of Saint Francis

Category: Religious Architecture > Portal

District: Lisboa > Alenquer > Alenquer > Santo Estêvão e Triana

Historical Foundation

The Convent of São Francisco was one of the first Franciscan convents in Portugal, founded in 1222 by the infanta D. Sancha.

Medieval Importance

Queen D. Beatriz of Castile donated land and financed the construction of the convent church and the abbey in the 14th century.

Royal Residence

The Master of Avis, D. João I, resided in the convent during the siege of Alenquer in 1384.

Royal Concessions

King D. Afonso V granted the friars permission to fish in the river and cut firewood in his private forest.

Presence of Royal Figures

D. João II and Queen D. Leonor were in Alenquer in 1491 due to the death of Prince D. Afonso.

Sundial

Damião de Góis, a native of Alenquer, donated a marble sundial to the convent in 1557, which is still present in the cloister.

Reforms and Manueline Style

The convent was reformed several times, with the Manueline-style portal of the chapter house standing out, decorated with traditional themes of the time.

Religious Chapters

Several chapters of the Order of Friars Minor were held in the convent between the 16th and 18th centuries.

1755 Earthquake

The earthquake caused great damage, but the cloister survived. The church was rebuilt shortly thereafter.

Extinction and New Function

The convent was abandoned in 1834 after the extinction of religious orders, but the church became the main church of the town and the convent dependencies began to serve as a hospital for the Santa Casa da Misericórdia.

Current Residential Structure

Currently, part of the convent functions as a residential structure for the elderly.

National Monument

The Manueline portal of the chapter house has been classified as a National Monument since 1910.

Sources: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convento_de_São_Francisco_(Alenquer)

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