Batalha Abbey-Unfinished Chapels
Largo de Santa Maria da Vitória, Batalha 2440-109 - Portugal
Phone: +351 244 765 497 - Fax: +351 244 767 184
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The Unfinished Chapels are an amazing sight and a brilliant exposition of Manueline architectural detail. Commissioned in 1437 by King Duarte as a second mausoleum for himself and his descendants, the chapels were abandoned when King Manuel I decided to concentrate on the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon. The design by Huguet, substantially altered by Mateus Fernandes, consists of an octagonal rotunda with seven radiating hexagonal chapels. The massive buttresses, intended to carry the roof, were designed and decorated by Diogo Boitac. Highlights include Fernandes’ magnificent 15 metre high portal completed in 1509 and the added musicians’ gallery by João de Castilho.
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