UNESCO World Heritage Sites… Batalha Monastery in Batalha, Portugal

Exclusive Interview with Joaquim Ruivo

Interview by Karen Beishuizen
Photos courtesy of Batalha Monastery

Batalha Monastery is a Dominican Convent in Batalha, Portugal. Construction started around 1387 and finished circa 1517. The friars of the Dominican Order lived at the monastery until 1834. It was one of the very first Portuguese monuments to enter the UNESCO list of protected Heritage on December 9th, 1983. If appreciating the sheer beauty of it isn’t already enough, it can be a place of understanding of Portuguese history and European Art.

KB: Describe to the RSR readers when and by who Batalha Monastery was founded?

The construction of the Batalha Monastery started around 1387, in the following year – 1388 – the Monastery was given by the king of Portugal to the Order of Preachers, or Dominican order, whose friars lived there until 1834.

KB: What is the 1385 Battle of Aljubarrota and how is the monastery involved in this?

The Battle of Aljubarrota was the decisive battle to end the political crisis in which Portugal was involved since the death of Portuguese king Fernando I in 1383. João I, an illegitimate son of king Pedro I, emerged as the new Portuguese king, winning over the political interests of the Castilian king Juan I and his wife Beatriz (the legitimate daughter of Fernando I) over Portugal.
Before the Battle of Aljubarrota, João I made a promise to the Virgin Mary that, in case of winning the Battle, he would order the building of a “house of prayer” dedicated to that devotion, and so he did – hence the official name of the Monastery being: Santa Maria da Vitória (meaning “Our Lady of Victory).

KB: What is the Aviz Dynasty and what is the connection with the monestery?

The importance of the Batalha Monastery increased significantly when, some years after the beginning of the construction, king João I decided that the Monastery should also be the place of burial for the Royal Family, starting with himself and his wife, Philipa of Lancaster (grandaughter of king Edward III of England). João I was the first king of Avis Dynasty, the second dynasty of Portuguese kings.

KB: When did Batalha Monastery become part of UNESCO and how did this made the Monastery feel?

Batalha Monastery was one of the very first Portuguese monuments to enter the UNESCO list of protected Heritage, on December 9th, 1983. It was an honor due to the importance of that organization, but it also felt like a well-deserved recognition, since this Monastery is part of Portuguese visual, artistic, and historical identity.

KB: What does the title UNESCO World Heritage site mean to the monastery?

To be a World Heritage site means to connect the importance of the Batalha Monastery to people from all over the world, breaking boundaries of language, country or religion with the belief that the artistic value of this monument may bring a positive and unique experience to those who are willing to know it.

People’s diverse sensitivity towards this common heritage may also give back new layers of meaning to the Monastery, from aesthetic to spiritual or historical meaning… This is truly part of an international Heritage that deserves protection and can resonate in meaning, not only to Portuguese people, but to any person on earth.

KB: The UNESCO has certain criteria to make the World Heritage List. What criteria did the monastery had to fulfill to be on the list?

Listing implies that two criteria at least must be met. The Monastery of Batalha meets criteria I and II:

I. represent a masterpiece of human creative genius.

II. exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design.

KB: Which series, movies or documentaries has the monastery appeared in?

No series recorded. Some films were partly turned, of which the most remarkable ones are ” Non’, ou A Vã Glória de Mandar “, directed by the internationally known Portuguese film director Manoel de Oliveira (1990), Madonna videoclip “Dark Ballet” (2019) and “Damsel” by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (2024), for Netflix. Multiple documentaries, both Portuguese (like “Visita Guiada” directed by Paula Moura Pinheiro) and non-Portuguese (e.g., “Global Treasures” by Travel Video Store) were produced but their listing would be tedious.

KB: Describe to the RSR readers what they would see visiting Batalha Monastery.

You can see more than a church of grand dimensions in Batalha Monastery. This monument combines characteristics of the best European architecture of its time with values already existent within Portuguese architecture before, entwining artistic excellence and royal propaganda for several centuries of Portuguese History. Connected to the church, there is the royal funerary chapel named “Capela do Fundador”, and two cloisters surrounded by the many rooms once used as part of the friars’ daily life, such as the sacristy, chapter house, former refectory and kitchen, several dormitories, among other rooms. The Monastery once had two other cloisters (making a total of four) that were demolished in the second half of the 19th century, a period in which the monument underwent restoration works, but also in the first half of the 20th century it received new layers of historical meaning with the military memorial and museum that were installed there.

KB: Why should people visit the monastery?

If appreciating the sheer beauty of it isn’t already enough, it can be a place of understanding of Portuguese history and European Art. It is also a space in which every detail matters, not only the grandiosity, but also the careful treatment of every flower or body sculpted, drawn on stained glass, or every human expression carried throughout different artistic means and visual representations. After all, Batalha Monastery remembers us that, although society may change over time, we can always be sensitive to the humanity (being it strengths, fears or faith) that was shaping this monument for centuries, touching the lifes of those who have lived in it.

 

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