Church of Santa Cruz - Panteão Nacional

Category: Monument|National Pantheon|Place of Worship|World Heritage Site

Founded in 1131, with the approval and encouragement of King Afonso Henriques, for the Order of Saint Augustine, it was the most influential convent in the city, contributing to the cultural, economic, and political development of the country.

Little remains from the Romanesque period, since in the 16th century, major renovations and restoration and expansion works were carried out on the monastic house, promoted by Kings Manuel I and João III. The highlight of these renovations is entirely the royal tombs of Afonso Henriques and his son and successor, Sancho I. Until then, the founders of the kingdom had been buried in a shallow grave in the narthex of the Romanesque church. After the church was enlarged with the construction of a new chancel, they were given the dignity they deserved through the commissioning of the royal tombs to Nicolau de Chanterenne. The tomb chests, placed face to face, are framed by stone altarpieces, markedly late Gothic in style, but where Manueline decoration prevails and Renaissance decoration begins to come to the fore. In 2003, the church was recognized as a National Pantheon in the Diário da República (Official Gazette) – Series I, Law 35/2003 of August 22.

During the early days of the nation, the Monastery of Santa Cruz was an important center of national and international theological studies, renowned for its vast library and scriptorium, where the monks devoted themselves to copying books. Many figures studied here, including Saint Anthony and the poet Luís de Camões, among others.

The monastery's façade displays Romanesque structural elements combined with 16th-century decoration on the portal. The Triumphal Arch that precedes the façade dates from the 19th century.

The Romanesque church was designed by the French architect Roberto. Among the works promoted by King Manuel I, the vaults attributed to Master Boitaca stand out, as does the remarkable Manueline choir stalls from 1513, whose crown has a theme alluding to the Portuguese discoveries. Equally noteworthy are the royal commissions to Nicolau Chanterenne for the execution of the recumbent figures of the royal tombs in Renaissance style. Afonso Henriques and Sancho I, the first kings of Portugal, rest in elegant tombs in the chancel of the church, now the National Pantheon.

The Cloister of Silence is Manueline from the 16th century and includes four bas-reliefs with scenes from the Passion of Christ by Nicolau Chanterenne.

Behind the monastic complex is the Cloister of Manga, a beautiful Renaissance building of a purity of style rarely surpassed, attributed to João de Ruão. The work, formerly known as Fonte da Manga, was located in the center of one of the three cloisters of the Monastery of Santa Cruz.