Evora’s UNESCO Sites and the Enchanted Village of Monsaraz

Travel from the Lisbon region (visitor accommodation) to Evóra, in a comfortable and spacious vehicle, a 9-seater Mercedes Vito.

The Chapel of Bones was built in the 17th century on the initiative of three Franciscan friars whose aim was to convey the message of the transience and fragility of human life. This message is clearly conveyed through the inscription: “We bones who are here, await yours”. It basically shows the macabre taste of Baroque man for necrophilia. The Chapel of Bones, full of skulls and other bones, is made up of three naves measuring approximately 18.70m long and 11m wide. Natural light strategically enters these naves only through three small gaps on the left side. It is a very dark place! Be brave… The walls of the Chapel of Bones and the eight pillars that make it up are covered with carefully arranged human bones and skulls, joined together with brown cement. The vaults are made of white plastered brick and painted with motifs that symbolise or allude to death.

The Cathedral of Évora or Sé de Évora, its real name is Basílica Sé de Nossa Senhora da Assunção. It is the largest medieval cathedral in Portugal and has no parallel in the rest of the country. The Sé de Évora “protects” the city from its highest point, the chosen location for other iconic buildings in Évora such as the Roman Temple of Évora (Temple of Diana), the Évora Museum or the Eugénio de Almeida Art and Culture Centre. The Cathedral of Évora, whose construction began in 1186 and was consecrated in 1204, was only completed in 1250. It is a fascinating and imposing monument. Made entirely of granite, it is marked by the transition from the Romanesque to the Gothic style. It was improved during the 15th and 16th centuries, with the upper choir, the pulpit, the baptistery and the arch of the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Piedade or Capela do Esporão (1529) all from this period. This chapel in the Évora Cathedral is an unusual example of hybrid Plateresque architecture.

The Roman Temple of Évora is one of the grandest and best preserved Roman temples in the entire Iberian Peninsula, having been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. It is the city's symbol, a kind of calling card. It is one of the most important historical landmarks in Évora, and is also one of the most visible symbols of the Roman occupation of the city. Built in the Corinthian style, the Roman temple was built at the beginning of the 1st century AD. Even today, this construction, which is around 2,000 years old, is known as the Temple of Diana. The confusion is due to a legend created in the 17th century that associated the construction of the “Temple of Diana” in Évora in honour of the Roman goddess of hunting. In fact, the Roman Temple of Évora was built to pay homage to Emperor Augustus, who was venerated as a god, and was part of what would later become the Roman forum. It was modified in the two centuries that followed (2nd and 3rd centuries AD) and partially destroyed in the 5th century, during the invasion of barbarian peoples.

It is, par excellence, the “example” of the Portuguese historic centre, with visible repercussions in most of the overseas territory. Évora owes its relevance to a thousand-year-old history that goes back to Prehistory. But history took over, making it one of the most notable Roman cities in Lusitania – Ebora Liberalitas Júlia – of which numerous remains remain, notably the Roman Temple. It then became one of the great urban centres in the south of the Portuguese kingdom, a constant place of visit and stay for monarchs. It saw the birth and development of the first brilliant features of Gothic architecture, combined with the heritage (and the search for emulation) of the “Moorish” or Arab world in the so-called “Mudejar style”, during the 15th and 16th centuries. It later received the influence of humanism and it is here that some of the first great architectural works of the Iberian Renaissance appeared, around 1530.

Perched high on a hilltop overlooking the Alentejo plains and the Alqueva Lake, Monsaraz is one of Portugal’s most enchanting medieval villages. Surrounded by ancient walls, its narrow cobbled streets, whitewashed houses, and historic castle transport visitors back in time to an era of knights and legends. Strolling through Monsaraz feels like walking through a living museum, where every corner offers breathtaking views and every stone holds a piece of history. The peaceful atmosphere, combined with the stunning natural landscapes, makes Monsaraz an unforgettable highlight of any journey through Alentejo.