Towns of the Silvercoast - Costa da Prata 

These are the most important towns of the Costa da Prata:

Alcobaça
The main feature of the town is essentially the Abbey that proudly presents a long and sombre façade with 18th Century embellishments. This austerity is further emphasized in the cloisters with its apt name of “Cloister of Silence”. In contrast within the Abbey is the massive kitchen with a running stream specially diverted to pass through as a supply of fresh water. The open area of the kitchen chimney is large enough to take a whole ox for roasting. The surround to the sacristy doorway is an outstanding example of Manueline decoration. In 1794, Lord Beckford visited the Abbey and commented that he found some 300 monks “living in a very splendid manner”!

Aveiro
Today the area is a centre of industry but the old lagoon of about 65 sq. km. still has its charm with the many canals and the distinctive and colorful “moliceiros” boats that are used to collect seaweed. The town is basically a mixture of neat fishermen’s cottages and Art Nouveau mansions with a few historic buildings. The small houses lining the beach area are most attractive with their distinct colorful facades of different painted colours. The church of Misericôrdia dates from the 16th Century, whilst the more modest Cathedral São Domingos is from the 15th Century. The city’s museum is located in what previously was the Mosteiro de Jesus where Santa Joana, the daughter of King Afonso V died in 1490. This museum, besides holding the tomb of this Saint in a richly gold decorated sanctuary, has an interesting collection of primitive and 15th Century art.

Batalha
The construction of the Abbey of Santa Maria da Vitória at Batalha commenced in 1388, and was later added to and enhanced by various Portuguese Kings over these next two centuries. Located proudly in a valley this imposing structure is an outstanding example of combined Gothic and Manueline architecture. Under its naves lies some of Portugal’s most historic personalities during that period. Here you will find resting the tombs of João I, his English wife Philippa of Lancaster, and their famous offspring, Prince Henry the Navigator whose efforts and determination helped to explore the then unknown world. In the Chapter house lie two unknown soldiers from World War I thus giving the Abbey a military relationship to the 20th Century.

Caldas da Rainha
In this town the original Chapel of the first Misericórdia hospital was used as a base for the 15th Century present Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Pópulo, designed and built by Diogo Boitac, the same architect who created the imposing Mosteiro dos Jeróminos in Belém, in Lisbon. This Church is reputed to be the largest ever built within Portugal. Other than this church the there are two more places of main interest. The first is the Museu de José Malhoa that is named after an accomplished artist of the late 19th and early 20th Century. This museum also houses the works of his contemporaries, particularly that of the equally famous ceramist Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro. The second place is the Museu de Cerâmica housed in the old home of the Visconde de Sacavém that has a large collection of hand painted objects including tiles from the last two centuries. Also in this town is a national museum devoted to the sport of Cycling.

Coimbra
The Sé Velho built in the 12th Century is one of the best examples of Romanesque churches in Portugal. The Sé Nova was built at the turn of the 16th Century by the Jesuits to demonstrate their growing strength. The charming and elegant 16th Century Museu Nacional Machado de Castro was formerly the Bishop’s palace and is now the depository of some of Portugal’s finest sculpture. On display is a mixture of other items including ancient art up to the 20th Century. In an underground maze of linking Roman passages it exhibits items from that period. The visually interesting12th Century Mosteiro de Santa Cruz has been added to at various times and within is the tomb of the first King of Portugal, Afonso Henriques. The 16th Century addition of the Claustro do Siléncio is a fine example of a Manueline cloister. Two of Portugal’s most revered Queens were temporary laid to rest in the 14th Century Mosteiro de Santa Clara-a-Velha. They were Santa Isabel and the tragically murdered Inês de Castro. The Claustro de Santa Clara-a-Nova was constructed in the 17th Century to re-house the nuns from the often-flooded older Convent. It became the final resting-place of the remains of Queen Santa Isabel who is revered as a Saint. Her preserved corpse is on display behind glass. In the city there are many churches that also worth visiting especially the 12th Century Igreja de Santa Cruz that was later altered in the 16th Century to its present example of Manueline architecture. Coimbra boasts the largest Botanical Garden in the country which covers 20 hectares. The University buildings have over time been generally replaced and the main body tends to have been re-constructed in the early 18th Century. The students library Biblioteca Joanna is an amazing collection of over 300,000 books dating from the 12th Century in which it was founded. A private collector and his home after whom the Casa Museu Bissaya Barreto is named, presents an impressive collection of decorative tiles, period paintings, sculptures, and porcelain objects especially from the Comphania das Índias.
Next door to the Convento da Santa Clara-a-Velho is a park dedicated to the enjoyment of children. All the most important buildings, monuments, and typical homes in Portugal have been reproduced in a much smaller scale making them an entertainment in themselves.
From the distant past the students still indicate the faculty they belong to by the colour of a ribbon they attach to their gowns. Every year in May when the academic year ends they ceremonially burn these ribbons and duly celebrate. This event is named "Queima das Fitas". The students also reflect their optimistic attitude to life and culture by singing a lighter and happier version of their traditional national songs and these are generally referred to as "Fados da Coimbra".

Fátima
Visitors to this area are recommended to pay a visit to Ourém, a medieval town that lies just to the northeast of Fátima. This town has a 15th Century castle and in the church is the impressive tomb of Afonso, the grandson of Nuno Alves Pereira, the savior in the Battle of “Aljubarrota in 1385 against the forces of Castille. This town is said to be the source of the charming story about the captured Moorish girl and brought back to convert to Christianity. Her name was said to be Fátima Ourena Directly to the east of Fátima is the fascinating and historic town of Tomar. This town was founded in 1159 by the first Grand Master of the all-powerful Order of the Knights Templar in Portugal, Gualdim Pais. The most important secret moments of this Order took place in the "Charola", an octagonal chapel painted and carved in the Byzantine style and is the heart of the Covento de Cristo. A few kilometers to the northeast of Fátima is the wondrous building constructed in memory of the important battle of Aljubarrota in 1385. The Abbey at Batalha commenced in 1388 and was added to by various Portuguese Kings over the following centuries. To the northwest is the town of Alcobaça that only became notable in the 12th Century when it became the site for the important construction of Portugal’s largest Abbey. To the north is the 16th Century town of Leiria that is crowned with a 14th Century castle. It was in this town that the King Dom Dinis held the first “Cortes”, a form of Parliament.

Leiria
The town is quite charming with small homes over archways and behind graceful arcades. As a reminder of its ancient history there is the 12th Century Church, Igreja de São Pedro. The town was declared an Episcopal City in 1545 and the Cathedral is from that same period. The high vaulted nave leads the visitor to the altarpiece with a chancel work by Simões Rodrigues painted in 1605. Across from the castle there is a 18th Century staircase that ascends to the 16th Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Encarnação.

Óbidos
To the visitor this charming small and fortified town is suggestive of a medieval film set. It has been carefully preserved and its inhabitants take careful pride in maintaining the architectural image of days gone by. Impressive 18th Century blue tiles line the walls within the southern gate that is appropriately known as Porta da Vila and acts as the main entrance. Besides its historic importance, the Igreja de Santa Maria is also the resting-place of the Count of Dijon, D. João de Noronha and his wife D. Isabel de Sousa whose tombs were finely sculpted c. 1525 by Nicolau Chanterenne. On the opposite side of the square to the church is a Manueline pillory adorned with a fishing net that symbolizes the efforts of the local fishermen who unfortunately failed to save the Queen’s son from drowning. The ancient town walls have been restored over the centuries and the castle itself has been carefully turned into a charming Pousada. The town was also the permanent home of a competent lady painter of the 17th Century. Josefa de Óbidos as she is commonly known was born in Seville but her Portuguese father who was also a painter brought her back to Óbidos at the age of six where she was to remain for the rest of her life. Not withstanding the high quality of her work the fact that she as a woman of that time and was given public commissions and accepted in society makes Josefa de Óbidos an exceptional artist in history. The small museum alongside the main church has a few of her many remaining works. Reasonably close to the town is the Santuário do Senhor da Pedra that was built as from 1740. This architectural hexagonal shaped church stands quite alone on the landscape and was sadly only completed as a building in this century.

Tomar
The Igreja da Santa Maria do Olival was considered as the mother church of this Order and it is the resting place of many of the past Masters. The most important secret moments of this Order took place in the "Charola", an octagonal chapel painted and carved in the Byzantine style and is the heart of the Covento de Cristo. Much of the frescos, statuary and paintings decorating the "Charola" have been carefully restored to their former splendour. The 12th Century Castle attached to the Convento looks down on lively streets and historic buildings. The 15th Century Igreja de São João Baptista contains paintings that include a remarkable work, the “Last Supper” painted by Gregório Lopes during the 16th Century. In this town is one of the oldest synagogues in Portugal that was built between 1430 and 1460. Last used in 1497 it is now a small Jewish Museum in honour of Abraham Zacuto who was a renowned astronomer and mathematician from the 15th Century. Beside the 15th century bridge Ponte Velha is the Capela da Santa Ira built to celebrate the martyrdom of this 7th Century Saint. This town has many other churches of interest, particularly the 16th Century Nossa Senhora da Conceição. The Museu dos Fósforos in the former cloisters of the Igreja de São Francisco is possibly unique in that it is devoted to matches exhibiting some 43.000 matchboxes from 104 countries.

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