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A monastic community existing in 1141, when Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, granted it the “Carta de Couto” [place with privileges], settled on a hillside facing the Douro.
The Canons Regular of Saint Augustine made Ancede an important economic, cultural and spiritual centre.
This prosperity allowed the investment in assets, of which the church and the monastic complex are examples.
Although the traces of the Romanesque Church may be summarized in the rosette and vestments on the walls of the chevet, the volumetry this suggests that the medieval church would have had considerable dimensions.
It was destroyed in the 16th century when the Monastery was transferred to the Dominicans. At that time, an adjacent church would have been built to the parishioners.
Both were destroyed in the late seventeenth century, to give way to the current three-nave temple. In the chancel, the Baroque and Neoclassical elements combine with the Romanesque rosette.
The walls of the aisles comprise paintings from the 16th to the 18th centuries, the pulpit and the choir and, in the sacristy, the mobile and the set of 18th-century reliquaries. In the churchyard, the Chapel of the Lord of Good Delivery highlights one of the most notable periods of the Monastery: the 18th century.
This Baroque Chapel with an octagon-shaped layout provides a fascinating narrative of the life of Christ.
Type: Monastery
Classification: Public Interest Building - 2013
Route: Douro Valley
1141 - Awarding of the charter of privileges to the "honra" [territory] of Ancede by King D. Afonso Henriques, first king of Portugal;
1144 - The Church of Gove (Baião) is annexed to the Monastery's assets;
1258 - The Monastery's prior was Dom Diogo, who was unaware of its origin;
1294 - The Church of Saint Michael of Oliveira do Douro (Cinfães) was annexed to the Monastery's assets;
1320 - The Church of Ancede paid a tax of 550 Portuguese libras [former Portuguese currency unit] to support the Crusades;
1366 - There was a fire in the Church of Saint Andrew;
1391 - The patronage of the Church of Saint Michael of Oliveira do Douro was added to the previous donation;
1559 - The Monastery of Ancede and all its properties, privileges and incomes are integrated into the assets of the Convent of Saint Dominic of Lisbon;
17th-18th centuries - Large investments in the monastic space (fence and churches);
1689 - The new Church is blessed and consecrated in this year's Christmas celebrations;
1745 - The existing bell tower had not been built yet;
1864 - The Church of Ancede was well preserved, being just in need of a coat of paint;
2001-2003 - Conservation and restoration of the barn, cellar and wine presses and creation of sanitary infrastructure;
2002 - Archaeological surveys within the scope of the sanitary infrastructure works;
2004-2005 - Recovery of the eaves, the threshing floor and of the house of the lads, then called the caretaker’s house;
2005 - Archaeological surveys in the scope of the project designed for the remodelling and reconstruction or the caretaker’s house and the eaves;
2007 - Opening of the Interpretive Centre of the Vine and Wine;
2010 - The Monastery of Ancede integrates the Route of the Romanesque;
2010-2011 - Consolidation and maintenance of the main wings of the Monastery and conservation and restoration of the Chapel of the Lord of Good Delivery, including part of its artistic heritage;
2013 - Archaeological surveys in the old buildings of the guest house and the house of the lads (servants);
2013 - The Monastery of Ancede is classified as Public Interest Monument;
2014-2015 - Archaeological surveys within the religious space, the surrounding area of the main wings of the Monastery and the area of the farm;
2019 - Opening of the António Miranda - Sacred Art Museum at the "Inn and House of the Lads";
2020-2024 - Requalification works of the architectural complex: cloister, wings of the Monastery (with auditorium, exhibition spaces...), house of the lads (servants) and churchyard, under the design of Álvaro Siza Vieira. Vieira; Exterior arrangements and archaeological surveys; Conservation of the Church and of the Chapel of Good Delivery.
Saint Andrew - 30th November
- Church of the Monastery of Ancede: opening by appointment with the services of the Route of the Romanesque, by filling out a form or sending an e-mail (visitasrr@valsousa.pt).
- MACC BAIÃO - Monastery of Ancede Cultural Centre (Exhibitions / Interpretative Centre of Vineyards and Wine / Chapel of the Lord of Good Delivery / Consolidated ruin): open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10.30 am to 12.30 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm. Booking visits: phone +351 968 476 164 or +351 255 540 550 or mosteiro.ancede@cm-baiao.pt. Price list: see here.
Sunday - 11 am
Monument not accessible to visitors with reduced mobility.
+351 255 810 706
+351 918 116 488
visitasrr@valsousa.pt
