“Style is a fraud. I always felt the Greeks were hiding behind their columns Willem de Kooning”

Mar 18, 2017

Today we left Sintra and took the toll road to Evora for a drive of a little over two hours with both sides of the road dotted with cork forests the moment you left Lisbon city limits.

In the outskirts of town, we stopped at a supermarket for picnic provisions.  The market was buzzing with Saturday shoppers.  Oh, what fun I could had had if we were to have had a kitchen, the bacalao,  octopus,  and fresh fish, cheeses and bread……plus the freshness of the fruit and vegetables…..had my mind racing with multiples menus.

Évora the capital of the Alentejo region. Due to its well-preserved old town center, still partially enclosed by medieval walls, and a large number of monuments dating from various historical periods is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We visited a few of the historical sites within its wall and to our surprise, the tourist invasion was hardly noticeable.

The Prata Aqueduct built during the reign of King João III between 1531 and 1537, the huge arches stretched for 6 miles to supply water from the interior to Évora. You are welcome by these enormous sites as you first enter the city.

Roman Temple of Évora improperly referred to as the Temple of Diana, is a 1st-century temple, dedicated to the cult of Emperor Augustus, that was incorporated into the medieval building and, thus, survived the destruction. Évora’s most famous landmark is constructed of  25.20 f Corinthian columns and fourteen granite columns, and whose base, capitals, and architraves of marble.

The Cathedral of Évora built between 1280 and 1340, it is the largest and most important Gothic Cathedral in Portugal. The cathedral has a notable main portal with statues of the Apostles and a beautiful nave and cloister. One transept chapel is Manueline and the outstanding main chapel is Baroque. The pipe organ and choir stalls are renaissances around 1566.

Chapel of São Brás built around 1480, is a good example of Mudéjar-Gothic with cylindrical buttresses. Only open for prayer.

Saint Francis Church, built at the end of the 15th and the early 16th centuries in mixed Gothic-Manueline styles. The wide nave is a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture. Contains many chapels decorated in Baroque style, including the Chapel of Bones totally covered with human bones.

I have been to more than a few churches during my travels and seen all kinds of materials in use. But a chapel built from bones and skulls of the grave of the town.  It’s Interior is completely covered with human bones and skulls has the solemn, gloomy, and tragic atmosphere of the crypt.  It was used as a prayer and meditation about the human condition place of the Franciscan.

The inscription over the entrance to the chapel translates to “we both bones that are awaits yours”

Lóios Convent and Church built in the 15th century contains a number of tombs; the church and the cloister are Gothic in style, with a Manueline chapterhouse with a magnificent portal. The church interior is covered in azulejos from the 18th century. And the convent was turned In 1965  to the pousada.  Our room which is no bigger than the monk cell is nicely appointed within its tight quarters.  the entrance to the Pousada faces the roman ruins.

If I thought Sintra roads were narrowed, I had a panic attack in Evora, ready to walk away from the vehicle, but David mentioned that there were cars ahead and we proceed where the road turns into a plaza and our Hotel………….talking about sweating bullets.

We had a lovely picnic at the town park, seated by the small lake with an assortment of waterfowl. A bounty of cheese, fruits, bread, and David has his leftover pork loin stuffed with figs……

Evora is a lovely walking town, where narrow streets open to lovely plazas, filled with shops and cafes……we stopped at a local cafe for Natas quejidas and coffee, just a little energy to resume our exploring.

We are retiring early tonite, and grazing out of the left over picnic, I’m getting over a cold and David s catching one……

Tomorrow we move on to Belmonde.