The story of Batalha Monastery

Batalha means 'battle', and this whole monastery is a thank-you for one. Before the Battle of Aljubarrota on 14 August 1385, King John I vowed to build a monastery for the Virgin Mary if she helped his outnumbered army against Castile. He won, and work began in 1386. It went on for more than a century, through the reigns of seven kings and the efforts of fifteen master builders.

The architect Huguet raised the nave to 32.46 metres, making the church seem even narrower inside. Walk into the Founder's Chapel, the first royal pantheon in Portugal: John I and his English queen, Philippa of Lancaster, lie side by side with clasped hands, a sign of the good relations between Portugal and England. Their younger sons rest nearby, among them Henry the Navigator.

Then look for the Unfinished Chapels, reached only from outside, a reminder that the monastery was never truly completed. Since 1983 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.