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The Monastery of Travanca impresses by its dimensions, especially the Church, built in the 13th century.
Associated with the lineage of the Gascos, a member of which was Egas Moniz, the schoolmaster and governor of Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, was one of the most powerful monastic institutions in the Sousa region during the Middle Ages.
Outside the three-nave Church, the main portal stands out, split in a protruding body, topped by a cornice on rectangular cantilevers and adorned with corbels [salient support stones] in the shape of bovine heads. The archivolts feature dihedric logs and their capitals are represented with birds with their necks entwined, snakes, human figures and monsters devouring naked men.
The north side portal shows a similar composition.
The interior is composed of diverse artistic and architectural solutions from the medieval period and later.
The sacristy, whose Baroque spirit stands out in the arcades and ceiling paintings, highlights the major reforms initiated in the Modern Age.
However, what stands out from the complex is the isolated tower, considered one of the tallest medieval Portuguese towers. Its military appearance is purely symbolic, emphasizing its richly carved portal, whose tympanum features a unique representation of the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God), raising a pattée cross.
Type: Monastery
Classification: National Monument - 1916
Route: Tâmega Valley
11th-12th Centuries - Foundation of the Monastery of Travanca;
12th Century - The counts Henrique and Teresa granted a land charter to the Monastery;
13th Century - Construction of the church;
1280-1492 - Ruling period of the perpetual abbots;
1320 - Income of the church and Monastery are taxed in 1800 Portuguese libras to assist the Crusades;
1492-1565 - Ruling period of the commendatory abbots;
1568 - Status check on the Monastery, according to a visit ordered by Cardinal D. Henrique;
1572-1834 - Ruling period of the triennial abbots;
1678, May 17th - Date that marks the rebuilding of the monastic quarters (according to Francisco Craesbeeck);
1720, December 10th - Date of the brief papal decree granting privileges to the altar of the Virgin of the Rosary;
1716-1813 - Period of particular constructive and reconstructive activities and artistic investment in furniture assets, particularly in terms of collateral and lateral altars, the choir, organ and sacristy;
1834 - Termination of monastic life and subsequent nationalisation of the congregation's estate;
1916, January 27th - The Monastery is declared a National Monument;
1939 - DGEMN - Direção-Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais [General Directorate for Buildings and National Monuments] publishes its Bulletin no. 15, dedicated to the restoration project of the Romanesque Church of Travanca;
2010 - Integration of the Monastery of the Saviour of Travanca in the Route of the Romanesque;
2013-2014 - Intervention to preserve the roofs, walls and openings of the Church and the tower, under the scope of the Route of the Romanesque.
Divine Saviour - 6th August
By appointment
Sunday - 8 am
Monument not accessible to visitors with reduced mobility.
visitasrr@valsousa.pt
+351 255 810 706
+351 918 116 488
