Today’s post is the second of three in my Postcards from Portugal series. The first post on Lisbon, Cascais & Sintra is here. As usual, when you see an image gallery, click on an image to get a better view and use the arrows to move through the gallery.
Évora
On Day 4, I headed to Évora, 140 km east from Lisbon. Évora is one of Portugal’s most beautifully preserved medieval towns and the whole city of Évora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Upon arrival, I headed to Évora’s main square, the Praça do Giraldo, and walked through the cobbled streets of this former royal town.
My first stop was the Roman Temple of Évora, built in the first half of 1st century AD and dedicated to Emperor Augustus, first emperor of Rome. This Roman Temple is Évora’s most iconic monument and is considered one of the best preserved Roman ruins on the Iberian peninsula.
My second stop was the Cathedral of Évora. Its construction, in the Roman-Gothic style, was started around 1280 and finished by 1350. Impressive art and architecture found throughout the Cathedral.
My third stop was the Church of St. Francis that is famous for its Ossuary chapel or Chapel of Bones. Built in the first half of the 17th century by Franciscan monks, the Chapel’s walls are decorated with thousands of human bones and skulls, which came from ordinary people who were buried in Évora’s medieval cemeteries. Above the chapel entrance: “Nos ossos que aqui estamos pelos vossos esperamos” or “We bones that are here await yours.”
Leaving the Chapel of Bones, I took a stroll wandering Évora’s small streets, admiring the art and architecture, and browsing souvenir shops. Évora is located in Portugal’s Alentejo region which is known for its cork cultivation. It’s a good place to buy all kinds of things made from cork.
Fátima
On Day 5, I left Lisbon behind and traveled north through the scenic Portuguese countryside to Fátima, one of the most important Catholic shrines in the world, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Its Sanctuary welcomes millions of pilgrims from all over the world. Fátima’s fame is due to the Marian Apparitions that appeared to three shepherd children in 1917.
Here, I visited the Sanctuary of Fátima. It’s a huge U-shaped shrine complex built in neoclassical style, flanked by colonnades linking it with the extensive convent. I happened to be at the shrine complex on Palm Sunday morning. Hundreds if not thousands of people arrived to attend mass.
People carried flowers or local tree branches and candles of different lengths (the long, 5 ft candles are for adults, shorter candles are for children). Some people ‘walked’ on their knees. Some came with folding chairs for a long stay. It was clearly a spiritual experience for the pilgrims to be there. The nearby market sells all sorts of trinkets, souvenirs and candles in the shapes of various body parts.
Tomar
From Fátima I continued my journey to Tomar, one of Portugal’s historic jewels. Upon arrival, I had lunch in a small eatery near Tomar’s main square before visiting the hilltop Convent of Christ, former seat of Knights Templar and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Construction of the Convent of Christ in Tomar began in 1160 in Manueline architectural style. Click here for a history summary of this large monumental complex. Once again, impressive art and architecture found throughout the Convent.
I stayed overnight in Tomar and left for Coimbra the next morning. More to follow.
Weekend Coffee Share
This post is my contribution to Dan’s #ThursdayDoors and Terri’s #SundayStills Churches, Temples, and Spiritual Centers.
I’d love for you to share what’s been happening, simple joys from your week and/ or favourite public art photos from around the world in the comments or Weekend Coffee Share linkup #118 InLinkz below.
Copyright © 2024 natalietheexplorer.home.blog – All rights reserved.
Natalie the Explorer 
So many ancient churches and cathedrals – but the Church of St. Francis with its bones and skulls would have been an amazing sight to see. You certainly got around and saw quite a lot of the country while you were there Natalie.
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Leanne, Portugal, like many other European countries, is full of churches and cathedrals. I’ve seen many chapels and some catacombs but nothing like the Chapel of Bones at the Church of St. Francis. Portugal is a small country and is easy to get around so I was able to visit several interesting towns and cities on this trip.
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How special to have been at the Virgin Mary shrine on Palm Sunday. The Temple of Bones might be a ‘skip’ for me, in spite of its historic designation. I hadn’t realized just how much of Portugal your visit encompassed. Beautiful trip. Thanks for taking us along.
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Suzanne, My visit to Fatima on Palm Sunday was a coincidence that turned out to be a special experience. The Chapel of Bones is the strangest chapel that I’ve visited. This trip was my second time to Portugal so I wanted to explore places outside of Lisbon, Sintra and the Algarve. Thank you for following along and commenting.
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You certainly visited some fascinating places. Thanks for sharing the photos.
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Darlene, Thank you for your comment. I was glad to visit several UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Portugal on this trip. They are impressive and educational.
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My goodness, a holiday of treasures indeed, and not that widely known about, in this country anyway. Évora’s on my to-visit list, at the very least!
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Margaret, I highly recommend Évora. I enjoyed a full day there and would still have more to discover if I had planned for two or three days.
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Right. Portugal in general is a big gap in my travel education, but it’s good to get away from the obvious destinations.
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Beautiful photographs, Natalie.
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Thank you, Shari. Glad you liked my photos.
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Wow such beautiful pictures again! Stunning!
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Thank you.
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Your stunning pics show off the fantastic architecture that stands the test of time, especially from medieval times, Natalie. Evora is a gorgeous city with its ancient chapel and Roman ruins. Worth a visit for sure! The chapel of Bones looks incredible, what an accomplishment to have constructed that. Looking forward to your last in the series!
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Terri, It’s mind -blowing to visit these ancient places. Évora used to be a royal town and is beautifully preserved. The Chapel of Bones is unique for sure. I was glad that my post fits well with your Sunday Stills photo challenge this week.
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The Roman Temple of Évora, or what is left of it, looks interesting to me. There’s something wistful about your photo and I like that.
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Ally, I’m glad you like my photo of the Roman temple. I took a few photos while I was there but that one is my favourite. I think the clouds contribute to the wistful effect. It’s incredible how long ago that temple was built and that it’s still standing. Plus the Romans certainly reached far, all over Europe.
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I might be with Suzanne on the walls of bones and skulls. That verdict is out because if I were there, I might be persuaded just because it is such an unusual feature. I’ve been in temples where they were in the walls, but not THE walls. There must be so much to see in Portugal. You’ve given us quite a history lesson. Thank you so much for hosting Coffee Share and PPAC with such wonderful posts each week.
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Marsha, That Chapel of Bones is unique for sure. The walls were full of bones and skulls placed to create different designs. There’s much to see in Portugal. I tried to condense my travel posts to just three for this trip. I’m happy you enjoyed reading them. Thank you for reading and commenting.
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Thank you so much for sharing these amazing photos with us, Natalie. It’s hard to get better than lovely cathedrals. There is something so special, you can feel the spirit in the photos.
I hope you have a great weekend!
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You’re welcome, Dan. I’m glad you liked my photos. The Cathedral of Évora and the Convent of Christ in Tomar are full of beautiful architectural details and rich history. It’s wonderful that they’re preserved so people can visit, explore and learn. I’m writing up my next post and should have some nice door photos to contribute next week.
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I look forward to that.
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Hi, Natalie – This is an especially relevant and exciting post for me. Richard and I have just confirmed that we will be doing the Portugues Coastal Camino from LIsbon this September. We will also take a detour to Fatima. Did you do any walking around Fatima? If so, how were the trails?
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Hi Donna, Doing the the Portugues Coastal Camino from Lisbon in September sounds amazing. I walked the old footpath located about half way between Minde and the Sanctuary of Fatima (about 15km return). That part is flat and has a lot of pine and oak trees. You may have seen this guide: https://caminhosdefatima.org/images/caminhos/tejo/caminho-do-tejo-roteiro.pdf
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Awesome! I will check it out!
Donna
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Some gorgeous pictures Natalie! I feel like I have done a short tour of parts of Portugal.
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Thank you, Barbara. I’m glad you liked my photos. I hope you find the ‘tour’ interesting.
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So many gorgeous photos! I don’t know why it never really dawned on me that the Roman empire stretched quite that far since I know both the Greeks and Romans were such large and lasting civilizations.
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Thank you Joanne for your comment. I’m glad you liked my photos. The Roman empire stretched quite far. It’s wonderful to see that Roman Temple still standing and in good condition.
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Judging by your amazing photos Natalie, I can see that Evora is a city that I’d love to visit. The architecture looks incredible. Looks like you had a memorable trip
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Excellent choice, Jennifer. I highly recommend Évora. I enjoyed a full day there and would still have more to discover if I had planned for 2 or 3 days.
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Beautiful structures to tour. Skull & bones walls. Yikes.
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The Chapel of Bones definitely causes reactions.
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So much history and many traditions here in this country you visited Natalie. Some of the buildings were amazing and had stories of what life was like then literally embedded in them. Wow. Thank you for the link up. I’ve been thinking about JOY! Denyse.
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Denyse, Yes, so much history in Portugal and many European and Asian countries. Anything less than 200 years old is considered new there. Thank you for linking up. I’ll hop over to your blog now.
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I loved seeing all these gorgeous architecture! Thank you so much for sharing!
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You’re welcome, Maria. I write these posts for me to remember my trip. I appreciate blog readers who follow along. I’m glad you loved seeing the gorgeous architecture.
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So many different things to see in these places. Thanks for sharing.
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You’re welcome, Aletta. There’s a lot to explore and enjoy in Portugal.
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😊
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A lot of cool history stretching back 2000 years… I think the bone chapel would be a bit creepy, but I knwo that in ways that is the idea…
Hope you are having a great weekend!
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It is said that the Franciscan monks’ reasoning for the chapel of bones was to bring their brothers to the contemplation of the ephemeral, volatile, and transitory nature of life. There is a poem for that chapel. I also read that people wanted their corpses to be at the chapel for absolution of their sins.
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I’m back in Perth, finally and getting around to reading more posts and creating some of my own. Thanks for hosting this great challenge
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Thank you Ali for your PPAC contribution. It must feel good to be home. I look forward to catching up with you.
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What an amazing trip! It must have been so very cool to be immersed in all of that history!
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Emily, Thank you for your visit, comment and linking up. It was a wonderful trip with lots of places and things to explore, learn and enjoy.
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Amazing! I am struck by the length of time it took to create these churches, especially when lifetimes were often so short. And now, at least here in the U.S. if it can’t be done quickly, it won’t get done. And our architecture is the poorer for it. Also? The Chapel of Bones? I wonder what compelled them to do that. Highly intriguing. What an amazing trip, Natalie!
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Those medieval walls are very thick and were built to last. Some of them were for defence purposes. Regarding the Chapel of Bones, it is said that the Franciscan monks’ reasoning for the chapel of bones was to bring their brothers to the contemplation of the ephemeral, volatile, and transitory nature of life. There is a poem for that chapel. I also read that people wanted their corpses to be at the chapel for absolution of their sins.
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Such beautiful sites, Natalie! I think Evora is my favorite, at first glance. Have a great week!
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Thank you, Pam. Excellent choice; Evora is a beautiful town to visit. Have a wonderful weekend!
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I’m finally catching up with your postcards, Natalie. I love your photos and I’m glad you went to Évora, there’s a special vibe about it that I adore. Looking forward to your next one.
I’m double-dipping PPAC and Lens-Artists this week. A bit of a compilation of new and images I’ve shared along on PPAC:
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Sofia, I love Évora. I hope to spend more time there in my next visit to Portugal. Thank you for your PPAC contribution. I’ll be over to your blog soon.
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Both awesome and lovely! Thank you, Natalie, for these places that I otherwise would not know of.
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You’re welcome, Lizl. I’m glad you enjoyed this post. I have one more post on Portugal next week.
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Thank you, Natalie. I look forward to it.
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Amazing architecture. Seems like you went on a pilgrimage with wonderful sights.
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Yes, wonderful architecture and sights to see in Portugal. Thank you Ganga for stopping by.
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Hi Natalie, what beautiful photos of your trip to Portugal. It is so fun to travel along as you are sharing your journey. Such wonderful architecture and rich history. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend! 💞
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Diana, Thank you for traveling along with me virtually and for your comment. I hope you enjoy a relaxing and lovely Mother’s Day.
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I’ve been to Portugal many times but never to any of these places so I really enjoyed seeing your photos and hearing about the sights in each. Évora looks especially appealing – I’ve immediately added it to my list of possible future city break destinations! How did you travel around – did you drive or use public transport? Or take a tour?
For the public art challenge I have a post on Tirana, where many of the utility boxes have been painted: https://www.toonsarah-travels.blog/gallery-boxing-clever-in-tirana/
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Hi Sarah, On this trip I wanted to visit some of the less obvious places in Portugal. Évora is lovely and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back and explore more of the city. It’s a former royal town and the whole city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site so there are historic places to visit and tons of things to photograph. I traveled around Portugal by train. Once I arrived at a town or city, I explored on foot. In Lisbon, I also used the metro. Thank you for your PPAC contribution that takes me to Tirana.
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Portugal is on my wishlist, and your pictures confirm it. Thanks a bunch for the tour.
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It was my second time visiting Portugal and I visit most countries just once. There are many things I like about Portugal. Thank you for following along virtually.
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I hated Lourdes as it was so touristy so I’m not sure if I would go to Fatima.
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I stopped in Fatima to break up my trip from Lisbon to Coimbra. I would skip Fatima next time I’m in Portugal. The shrine complex and Fatima town centre are touristy.
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I wonder if it was as creepy as I felt Lourdes to be?
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The Fatima shrine complex wasn’t creepy to me. It was a sunny day so I walked all around and in the complex to see everything.
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Wonderful interesting places, especially the Chapel of Bones, quite creepy I I imagine looking at all those skulls.
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That Chapel of Bones definitely causes reactions. It is said that the Franciscan monks’ reasoning for the chapel of bones was to bring their brothers to the contemplation of the ephemeral, volatile, and transitory nature of life. There is a poem for that chapel. I also read that people wanted their corpses to be at the chapel for absolution of their sins.
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Such beautiful photos. So cool that you got to go there. Very nice. I am so enjoying this.
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Thank you for your comment. I’m glad you’re enjoying this ‘postcard’.
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What a trip, a the photographs are amazing, deep blue skies and such wonderful architecture.
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I lucked out with the weather on this trip. It was mostly sunny and temperatures ranged from 20C to 27C. Évora has wonderful art and architecture to see.
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Sounds like a great place to visit.
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Wow love this. Did you do a day trip on your own?
Here is mine for this week https://mywanderings.travel.blog/2023/05/15/a-walk-in-abbotsford-convent/
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Yes, day trips from Lisbon to Évora, and from Lisbon to Fátima. From Fátima I continued to Tomar. Thank you for your PPAC contribution.
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I am still planning for that trip. Thanks Natalie.
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Those are beautiful Natalie. What a great trip. I barely made it to the posting deadline..lol. Thank you so much for sharing your trip.
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Thank you Kirstin for your comment. I’m glad you made it before the linkup ended. Hope you have a great week. See you again this weekend!
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Natalie,
The architecture and the history of the places you visited are fascinating. Great pictures as well. Thanks for sharing, and I’m looking forward to the next postcard.
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Thank you Joe for following along virtually and for your positive feedback. You’re one step ahead of me on commenting. I read your recent post and was about to leave a comment on your blog.
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The Chapel of the Bones is pretty cool! Is it like a catacomb?
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Good question, Julie. The Chapel of Bones is a chapel at ground level next to the Church of St. Francis. Its walls and columns are made of bones and skulls, cemented together. The chapel has windows that let outside light in. It is not like a catacomb in that catacombs are underground, in darkness, and the corpses are usually buried in chambers.
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We were in Fatima, but really, we missed way too much of Portugal. Time to go back. Thanks for the tours.
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Dan, Evora is well worth a visit. I liked Tomar, too. Thank you for stopping by.
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It’s amazing that Roman architecture can be found in so many places across Europe. I just love medieval towns – there is something very charming about them. And that Chapel of Bones …. it baffles the mind.
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The Roman Empire spread far and wide. Evora is a wonderful city to visit. That Chapel of Bones is the strangest chapel that I’ve been to.
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