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Revive your romantic side with a visit to the stage of the most well-known Portuguese love story.

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Revive your romantic side with a visit to the stage of the most well-known Portuguese love story. At Quinta das Lágrimas, where Peter and Inês secretly met, there is a hotel incorporated into the Small Luxury Hotels, surrounded by gardens so rich and diverse that they equal the most complete Botanical Gardens in rarity and exoticism. Forget the past and the future and fall in love with here and now. Relax your body at an extraordinary spa and let your spirit fly away while discovering this place.

Inês Fountains

A love story becomes great because of the tales that keep it alive. And the story of Peter and Inês is no exception.

Although the Prince lived with Inês at Santa Clara Palace for many years, folk tradition says that, in order to communicate with his lover, Peter would use a pipe which went through Quinta das Lágrimas until near the Poor Clairs convent. It is said that he would put letters into small wooden boats and then they would travel across the water that came from a fountain, the Fonte dos Amores (Fountain of Love).

At Quinta das Lágrimas there is also another fountain, the Fonte das Lágrimas (Fountain of Tears) which, according to legend, is made out of the tears that Inês cried when she was murdered. It is said that the blood from her body left a stain of red seaweed which is still noticeable today.

Through the Gardens of Quinta das Lágrimas

Created to become a true herbal museum, the gardens at Quinta das Lágrimas gather species from all over the world. Their designer, Miguel Osório Cabral de Castro, took the advantage of being a friend of the Coimbra University Botanical Garden director to provide more variety to this outside space which became one of the most important places at Quinta das Lágrimas. There is a wood area - which was once used by the royal family - and a garden area near the palace. The area has great sequoias, Judas trees, Chinese fan palms, Buçaco white cedars and Himalayan cedars, a Moreton Bay Fig and even a majestic Kusamaki, which comes from Southern Africa and there's only one more in Portugal.

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Quinta das Lágrimas * Centro de Portugal

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Revive your romantic side with a visit to the stage of the most well-known Portuguese love story. At Quinta das Lágrimas, where Peter and Inês secretly met, there is a hotel incorporated into the Small Luxury Hotels, surrounded by gardens so rich and diverse that they equal the most complete Botanical Gardens in rarity and exoticism.

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In the Convent of Santa Clara-a-Nova one can visit the tomb of Queen Isabel of Aragon, the Patroness Saint of Coimbra.

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Convent of Santa Clara-a-Nova * Centro de Portugal

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In the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova one can visit the tomb of Queen Isabel of Aragon, the Patroness Saint of Coimbra.

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Closely connected with the figure of Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, the monastery was built in the 14th century on the left bank of the Mondego River, but had to be abandoned in the 17th century due to frequent floods.

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Closely connected with the figure of Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, the Santa Clara a Velha Monastery had difficulties early on because of its closeness to the Mondego River. Its living conditions worsened throughout time because of continual floods, which led King John IV to order the construction of a new monastery called Santa Clara a Nova (New Saint Clair). Recently, recovery works were carried out in the building led to the discovery of many archaeological traces. Because of this finding, this national monument now has its own interpretative centre which has revitalized the space and its History.

The Creation of the Santa Clara Convent

The first building of the monastery was founded by Dona Mor Dias in 1286, but the Santa Cruz monks opposed to the existence of a new feminine monastic house and so the community was closed a few years later. However, in 1314, Elizabeth of Aragon reopened the monastic house and the Poor Claire nuns returned to Coimbra. The old structure which still exists today was a part of the great undertaking sponsored by the Saint Queen.

Built on the left bank of the Mondego River, the Santa Clara Monastery was always a victim of recurrent water invasions. Floods determined the timing of the construction and the price of the monastery rose progressively even leading to the construction of another floor. Over the next centuries, the life of the nuns was conditioned to the behaviour of the river and, finally, in 1677, the community left the space in order to occupy the building of the Santa Clara a Nova Monastery, which was built by order of King John IV in the opposite bank of the Mondego River.

Recovering the Monastery

Although it underwent recovery works in 1930, the determination of the Mondego River waters kept the old monastery in ruins and surrounded by a certain romantic aura. However, in 1991, an ambitious recovery and revaluation project for the gothic monastic space was started under the coordination of the archaeologist Artur Côrte-Real. Thanks to the construction of a peripheral water containment curtain, the intervention allowed workers to uncover the lower part of the church and the cloister and gather a very important collection which is a material evidence of its past.

The Santa Clara a Velha Interpretative Centre

After 17 years of hard study and recovery work, the Santa Clara a Velha Monastery reopened in 2009 and was included into an interpretive centre, designed by the architects Alexandre Alves and Sérgio Fernandez. This building which is also a museum has an auditorium, exhibition rooms, a shop and a coffee shop and provides several cultural events from auteur films to the exhibition of objects from the monastery's collection, recovered in the excavations which can recreate the monument and its History. Nowadays, visitors can enjoy not only a visit to the ruins of unquestionable architectonical and artist value, but also reconstruct the everyday life of the Poor Clair nuns. Santa Clara a Velha is, unquestionably, a monument of which the city of Coimbra can be proud of.

Opening Hours

May to September: 10:00-19:00 (last entrance at 18:15)
October to April: 10:00 - 17:00 (last entrance at 16:30)

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Santa Clara-a-Velha Monastery * Centro de Portugal

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Closely connected with the figure of Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, the Santa Clara a Velha Monastery had difficulties early on because of its closeness to the Mondego River. Its living conditions worsened throughout time because of continual floods, which led King John IV to order the construction of a new monastery called Santa Clara a Nova (New Saint Clair).

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The Almedina Arch was part of the solid mediaeval wall rebuilt in the 11th century by the Arab conquer Almansor
http://www.gpsmycity.com/attractions/arco-de-almedina-45389.html

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Almedina Tower was built above the Almedina Arch, probably at the time of Dom Sesnando (11th century), and modified many times over the centuries.

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Arch and Almedina Tower

Built on the Almedina Arch, the Tower had the duty watch and defend the main access door to the interior of the wall. During the Arab occupation of the city, the walls stretched over two kilometers and are a powerful defensive system in which included the Tower and the Arch of Almedina, which remains the main entrance to the uptown. In the twelfth century, Coimbra capital becomes a new Kingdom and is at the top of the hill (now Largo D. Diniz) which stood the castle keep of the castle. It was there that was in the Puerta del Sol one of the most important gateways to the city. The wall then followed the direction of the Almedina Tower, which in the fourteenth and fifteenth serves as House Hearing of the House. But in the name are the clearest recollections of Arab presence in Coimbra. During the Arab occupation of the city, the walls stretched over about two kilometers and are a powerful defensive system in which they were part of the Tower and the Arch of Almedina, which remains the main entrance to the Upper part of the City .

The Barbican, currently features seventeenth-century, are still visible grubbing two horseshoe arches of the old double portal of the Muslim City. The logic of winners imposed new aesthetic codes: a sculpture of the Virgin and João de Ruão boy prevails today in the Porta da Barbacã (Barbican Gate).

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Arch and Tower of the Almedina, The Moorish Gates

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Arch and Almedina Tower Built on the Almedina Arch, the Tower had the duty watch and defend the main access door to the interior of the wall. During the Arab occupation of the city, the walls stretched over two kilometers and are a powerful defensive system in which included the Tower and the Arch of Almedina, which remains the main entrance to the uptown.

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In addition to setting the time, the clock transmitted information by sound signals produced by the associated bells

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In addition to setting the time, the clock transmitted information by sound signals produced by the associated bells

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São Miguel Chapel or Saint Michael's Chapel is a chapel of the University of Coimbra in Coimbra,  Replaced a small private chapel of the Palace,
probably dated from the 12th century.
http://visit.uc.pt/en/chapel/

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The Santa Cruz Monastery, best known as Igreja de Santa Cruz, is a National Monument in Coimbra, Portugal. Because the first two kings of Portugal are buried in the church it was granted the status of National Pantheon.

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The Santa Cruz Monastery was founded in the reign of Afonso Henriques by a group of twelve Canons of St. Augustine.This monastic community was indeed the most important monastic house during the reigns of the first dynasty and it marked an essential period in the creation of the Portuguese identity, contributing to the political importance of Coimbra during the foundation of the realm.

Coimbra belonged to the Order of Saint Augustine and it became an important medieval school, teaching scholars and people connected with the political power who supported the new dynasty. King Afonso Henriques was a permanent figure in the monastery's life and, in the end, chose it as his burial place, a decision his son, King Sancho I would also follow a few years later.

Throughout the next centuries, Santa Cruz became the seat of a great ecclesiastical territory and strengthened its position as the cultural and intellectual centre of the realm. From 1527 onwards, together with other Portuguese canon monasteries, the Santa Cruz Congregation was created and the Collegium Sapientiae was founded. It remained an important academic centre linked to the Coimbra University where several teachers from the Order taught.

The Monastery Building

Built from 1131 onwards, the Santa Cruz Monastery started its community life during the next year, although the construction lasted for almost another century. The main chapel was finished around 1150 and the solemn dedicated church only in 1228. The monastery became increasingly important, which lead to several changes in its structure throughout History. Nowadays there's little left from its original Romanesque structure.

The most important change, which gave the building its current appearance, was carried out during the second half of the 16 th century when King Manuel, concerned about the dignity of the final resting place of the first two Kings of Portugal, decided to finance a campaign of renovation works which improved both the outside and the inside of the building. Carried out by the most important architects and sculptures of the Manueline era, the intervention began in 1507 under the guidance of Boytac and, later, of Diogo de Castilho. It was he who designed the monumental façade while the sculptures were the work of Nicolau de Chanterenne, the famous sculpture who also renovated the graves of Afonso Henriques and Sancho I.

The works lasted throughout the reign of King John III. It was during this time that the Manga Garden, a small Renaissance architecture jewel design by João de Ruão, was built and it is worth a visit.

At Santa Cruz you should not miss:

The interior space, covered with impressive rib vaults and decorated with Baroque tile

The Claustro do Silêncio (Silence Cloister), design by Marcos Pires, with bas reliefs of scenes from the Passion created by Nicolau Chanterenne

The 17th century sacristy which includes paintings by Grão Vasco and Cristóvão de Figueiredo

The upper choir and its impressive Manueline chair

The Baroque organ, built between 1719 and 1724

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Santa Cruz de Coimbra Monastery * Centro de Portugal

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The Santa Cruz Monastery was founded in the reign of Afonso Henriques by a group of twelve Canons of St. Augustine.This monastic community was indeed the most important monastic house during the reigns of the first dynasty and it marked an essential period in the creation of the Portuguese identity, contributing to the political importance of Coimbra during the foundation of the realm.

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The New Cathedral of Coimbra or the Cathedral of the Holy name of Jesus is the current bishopric seat of the city of Coimbra, in Portugal. The Cathedral is located near the historical University of Coimbra in the upper part of the town.

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The Old Cathedral of Coimbra is a Romanesque Roman Catholic building in Portugal. Construction of the Sé Velha began some time after the Battle of Ourique, when Prince Afonso Henriques declared himself King of Portugal and chose Coimbra as capital.

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Sé Velha / Old Cathedral - Coimbra (Portugal) - Património Mundial / World Heritage

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A SÉ VELHA DE COIMBRA é um dos edifícios em estilo românico mais importantes do país. A sua construção começou depois da Batalha de Ourique (1139). Os trabalhos principais terão terminado no início do século XIII. Obras importantes ocorreram no século XVI.

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The University of Coimbra is one of the fifteen universities that emerged in Europe until the late thirteenth century

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The Book House, was built between 1717 and 1728,
got its first books after 1750

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The Book House, was built between 1717 and 1728, got its first books after 1750

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The National Museum Machado de Castro is an art museum named after the renowned Portuguese sculptor Joaquim Machado de Castro. It's built over the Roman forum, the remains of which can be seen and cover several levels.

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This great museum is a highlight of central Portugal. It's built over the Roman forum, the remains of which can be seen and cover several levels. Part of the visit takes you down to the vaulted, spooky and immensely atmospheric galleries of the cryptoportico that allowed the forum to be level on su...

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The Iron Gate welcomes the entry into the building that was the Citadel of Coimbra, the old palace of the Alcáçova
http://visit.uc.pt/en/irongate/

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General Library of University of Coimbra

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General Library of University of Coimbra

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The current designation of the library, Biblioteca Geral da Universidade de Coimbra, came in 1924, and its current main building is from 1962.

The main centre Edifício Novo (the New Building, 1962) with over a million books ranging almost every possible field of study, 4 floors and over 7000 m2.

The library is open every day from 9:00 to 22:45.

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General Library of University of Coimbra

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General Library of University of Coimbra

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General Library of University of Coimbra

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UNESCO has recognized three criteria that justify the inscription of the University, Alta and Sofia in the World Heritage List.

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University of Coimbra Alta and Sofia - World Heritage List

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University of Coimbra Alta and Sofia - World Heritage List

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We would like to invite you on a small journey, a course through the concerned area to World Heritage - University of Coimbra, Alta and Sofia... It is about 35 hectares to visit in five minutes, maybe 7, as many as the centuries of its history.

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Video about the University of Coimbra

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Universidade de Coimbra - vídeo oficial / University of Coimbra - official video

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Vídeo sobre Universidade de Coimbra. Vídeo about the University of Coimbra.

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Dinis of Portugal (D. Dinis), the 6th king of Portugal, called "The Farmer King" and "The Poet King"  created, in 1290, the oldest University in Portugal and one of the oldest in the world.

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By signing the "Scientiae thesaurus mirabilis", D. Dinis created the oldest University in Portugal and one of the oldest in the world.

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Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

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   Sightseeing tour by the city of Coimbra

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   Sightseeing tour by the city of Coimbra

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In this video students present our cultural heritage and show places worth seeing in our city, Coimbra - Portugal

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Sightseeing tour by the city of Coimbra - Portugal - 15th june 2016

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eTwinning Project Taste our Region: EHTCoimbra. In this video students present our cultural heritage and show places worth seeing in our city, Coimbra - Portugal