Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Oliveira

Guimarães


Founded by Countess Mumadona in the 12th century and rebuilt four centuries later, the beautiful Largo da Oliveira is dominated by this convent church.

The monument outside the church is a Gothic canopy and cross, reputedly marking the spot where the great Wamba the Visigoth, victorious over the Suevi, drove his spear into the ground beside an olive tree and refused to reign unless a tree sprouted from the handle. In true legendary fashion, it did just that.


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Nearby Guimarães attractions

1. Museu Alberto Sampaio

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Built around the serene Romanesque cloister of Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Oliveira, this museum has an excellent collection of ecclesiastical art and…

2. Antigos Paços do Concelho

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Guimarães’ 14th-century former town hall sits above an arcaded portico providing a most graceful communication between cosy Largo da Oliveira and the more…

3. Igreja de São Francisco

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This 13th-century church has a brilliantly gilded and ornamented baroque interior, along with a lovely Renaissance cloister and 18th-century azulejos …

4. Museu Arqueológico Martins Sarmento

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This fantastic collection of mostly Celtiberian artefacts is housed in a former convent and named after the archaeologist who excavated Citânia de…

5. Igreja de São Gualter

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This slender 18th-century construction, with its 19th-century twin spires and blooming run-up from central Guimarães, has the most striking appeal of all…

6. Plataforma das Artes e Criatividade

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For the 2012 European Capital of Culture, the old market square was revamped into a multipurpose cultural centre inside a shimmering three-floor metallic…

7. Paço dos Duques de Bragança

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Looming over the medieval city on Guimarães’ hilltop, with its crenellated towers and cylindrical brick chimneys, Paço dos Duques was first built in 1401…

8. Castelo

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Built in the 11th century and still in fine form, the seven-towered castle is thought to be the birthplace of the great man himself, Afonso Henriques…