I forgot to mention that yesterday was a fasting day, so by this morning we were ready for fresh bread, cakes and lashings of hot coffee!
Revitalised and fortified we set about visiting the main event, Batalha Abbey.
This is another UNESCO world heritage building ( sorry, forgot to mention so was Alcobaça) and this time we were even more impressed!
The Abbey was built to commemorate the battle that sealed Portugal's independence after years of Spanish intrigue. In 1385 Joào , Metre de Aviz struck a deal with the Virgin Mary, promising to build her a magnificent Abbey if she offered military assistance against the Spanish. It worked, so the Abbey was built!
The building is THE most impressive building we have yet seen in Portugal (I know, yesterday's was good). The design and attention to detail supersedes everything else. This is another occasion when 'awesome' is the most appropriate word to use.
In the afternoon we drove to Fatima to see the Basilica. This is another top Roman Catholic site of significant magnitude, similar to Lourdes in France. The Basilica was built in 1953 to celebrate the vision of the Virgin Mary to three peasant children in 1917. Nowadays Fatima is a major centre of pilgrimage and the most holy place in Portugal.
The Basilica is impressive for a modern day church however it does not have the impact and complexity of the previously mentioned abbeys.
Just like when we visited Lourdes, I was impressed but not converted or healed (still got a slight headache).
Next stop...….... Tomar
EDIT: We had a really quiet nights sleep in Fatima, probably the quietest place we have stayed in .........Divine peace perhaps ?????
Next piccies are Fatima
