Mosteiro de Lorvão, Benedictine monastery in Lorvão, Portugal
Mosteiro de Lorvão is a Benedictine monastery in Lorvão, Portugal, built in white stone and featuring three naves, a cloister, and decorated chapels with intricate altars. The building displays Portuguese religious architecture developed over many centuries.
The monastery was founded in 878 during the Christian Reconquista when the region was being reclaimed. In 1206 it shifted from a male Benedictine institution to a female Cistercian convent.
The monastery was a center for producing illuminated manuscripts in the 12th century, including the Book of Birds and the Apocalypse of Lorvão. These works show the skilled artistry of monks who decorated religious texts with detailed images.
The site is open during regular hours and offers guided tours in multiple languages plus exhibits showing monastic life. Plan to spend enough time wandering through the rooms since there is much to see.
From the early 20th century until 2012, the monastery functioned as a psychiatric hospital, an unexpected turn in its later history. The hospital wing is now being converted into a hotel, bringing together two different chapters of its use.
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