Igreja de São Vicente de Fora

Lonely Planet review

Founded in 1147, this monastery - 'St Vincent of Outside', as it was outside the city walls - was built on the burial sites of foreign crusaders and later, between 1582 and 1627, reconstructed by the master of the Italian Renaissance, Felipe Terzi. In 1755's earthquake, the roof and dome collapsed on worshippers. Building works continued until the early 18th century, when finally the canons got to live here in peace, that is, until 1834 when religious orders were banished.

Today it has a wide, strikingly stark nave and coffered vault.

Remarkable blue-and-white azulejos date from the 18th century. They dance across almost every wall, echoing the curves of the architecture, across the serene, white cloisters and up to the 1st floor. Here there is a unique collection of panels depicting La Fontaine's fables (entertaining 17th-century moral tales), accompanied by excellent English and French background text.

Under the sacristy, decorated in eye-tiring polychrome marble, lie the crusaders' tombs. The former refectory holds a mausoleum containing the sombre marble tombs of most of the Braganças. A lone, weeping, cloaked woman holds stony vigil, to great dramatic impact. The monastery rooftop has more fantastic views.