On 14 August 1385, near the village of Aljubarrota, a Portuguese army led by King João I defeated a much larger Castilian force, securing Portugal's independence. Before the battle the king had vowed to build a great monastery to the Virgin Mary if he won, and he kept his word. The Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória, known simply as Batalha, which means battle, rose over the following century and more, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture in pale limestone, with flying buttresses, pinnacles and intricately carved portals. It was listed by UNESCO in 1983.
Inside, the Founder's Chapel holds the tombs of João I and his English queen, Philippa of Lancaster, their effigies lying hand in hand, and the tombs of their sons, including Henry the Navigator, the prince who sponsored the early Portuguese voyages of exploration. The Royal Cloister combines Gothic tracery with the exuberant Manueline style, decorated with ropes, shells and other maritime motifs. The Unfinished Chapels, at the back of the church, open to the sky, were never completed, and their huge, richly carved doorway leads into an octagon of empty walls. In the chapter house, two soldiers stand guard over the tomb of the Portuguese unknown soldiers of the First World War.
The riding around Batalha is varied. To the east and south, the limestone hills of the Serra de Aire e Candeeiros form a natural park, with karst plateaus, caves, dry stone walls and quiet roads that twist across the landscape. Several show caves, including those at Mira de Aire, can be visited. To the west, the roads lead down to the coast at Nazaré, famous for its giant winter waves, and São Martinho do Porto, with its almost circular bay. Fátima, the great pilgrimage site, is only a short ride away to the east, and Alcobaça, with another great monastery, is to the south west.
Batalha is a small town of around eight thousand people, with fuel, shops and restaurants around the monastery square. The motorway passes close by, making it an easy stop on a journey between Lisbon and Porto. The weather is mild, with hot, dry summers and wet winters, and the limestone of the monastery glows golden in the evening sun.