Sanborn's Trip to Portugal
Evora

Evora is the capital of Alto Alentejo province is in the central part of Portugal. A designated UNESCO World Heritage site it's builders adapted and expanded. It is considered one of Portugal's living museums as each street is filled with 16th and 17th century houses. evora2.jpg (18637 bytes)

 

evora1.jpg (21666 bytes) This town was even famous during the Roman era of Julius Caesar. It's heyday was during the 16th century reign of Joao III. It became the avant garde headquarters of Portugal. This church is at the end of the main square seen above and is not even listed in the tour guides.

 

What you see here is the church of Our Lady Of Grace. Baroque facade with huge classical nudes over the pillars. The sculpture here is often compared to works of Michelangelo. Built in the 1600s. Another site we visited was The Se Cathedral was built in the Roman Gothic style between 1186 and 1204. The 18th century main alter is the finest we have seen made of pink and white marbles. evora3.jpg (15814 bytes)

 

bones1.jpg (21798 bytes) The Church of St. Francis contains a chapel that is among the strangest you will ever see in a Christian church. Whether these bones came from soldiers fallen in battle or plague victims, they are a sight to see. Built in the gothic style between 1460 and 1510. Why the bones were here, we never found out.

 

What was also surprising about visiting this chapel (remember it is in a church) was that they allowed you to take pictures inside (for a fee). Practically every other church, monastery, and cathedral we visited would not allow cameras inside the buildings. bones2.jpg (35612 bytes)

To Continue Your Tour to:
To Setubal and Those Great Pousadas


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All are scanned images Pat's Photographs. Copyright 1998, 2001
Page Last Revised: January 26, 2001.