I arrived in Batalha around lunchtime on a Sunday in May 2018. Coming from the rather sleepy town of Alcobaça, the quite lively Batalha was a pleasant surprise. The service was just over and the squares around the monastery were crowded with churchgoers, locals and tourists. I decided to wait a bit until the crowds had dispersed and took a snack in one of the nearby restaurants.

After lunch and after a walk around the outside of the large monastery complex I entered the church. Compared with the exuberant exterior, the interior of the church is plain and elegant, not much different from Alcobaça. But this impression changes when you visit the monastery. It is famous for the Gothic-Manueline architecture. The opinions differ widely: "magnificent gem" or "over-the-top decor". I tend more towards the latter, nevertheless, it is fun to explore all the architectural details and the opulent decor. A highlight of this style is certainly the Royal Cloister or Clastro Real (photo): the combination of Gothic arches and Manueline tracery supported by slender columns is unique. And of course the Capelas Imperfeitas, in particular the Manueline portal, more decoration is hardly possible.
However, my favourite room was the Chapterhouse: a large, rectangular room with a single star-shaped rib vault, without a supporting column in the centre. A daring construction at that time, but with an impressive result, both aesthetically and technically. After leaving the monastery, I went back to the entrance to have a final look at the details of the façade and the portal of the church.

Well, the Manueline architecture is definitely not my favourite style, but it was a highly enjoyable visit and it was instructive to directly compare Batalha with Alcobaça. Both have all the elements typical of a monastery, concept and structure are similar, but the artistic implementation and the architectural solutions are very different. In the late afternoon I went to Tomar and was looking forward to the third World Heritage monastery in Central Portugal.