Mosteiro de Lorvão

Welcome to the Mosteiro de Lorvão, a place of profound antiquity and spiritual resonance nestled at the foot of Monte Lauriano in the municipality of Penacova. This monastery is one of the oldest in the Iberian Peninsula, with…

The current church of the Mosteiro de Lorvão is a masterpiece of late Baroque and Neoclassical architecture, the result of a massive building campaign that occupied most of the eighteenth century. The nuns decided to demolish the…

In the high chapel of the church, you will find the most sacred treasures of Lorvão: the magnificent silver urns containing the remains of Saint Queen Teresa and Saint Queen Sancha. These two sisters were the daughters of King…

During the twelfth century, the Mosteiro de Lorvão was home to a world-class scriptorium, a workshop where monks painstakingly copied and illustrated manuscripts. The most famous product of this workshop is the 'Apocalypse of…

The relationship between the Cistercian nuns of Lorvão and the local village was deep and multifaceted. One of the most curious and enduring legacies of this relationship is the manufacture of 'palitos'—elaborate, hand-carved…

The cloister is the physical and symbolic center of any monastery, the place where the interior world of the monks or nuns meets the natural elements. At Lorvão, the cloister served as a space for meditation, prayer, and the…

Long before the Cistercian nuns arrived, the Mosteiro de Lorvão was a site of significant religious importance during the Visigothic and Mozarabic periods. Historical records suggest that early monks here followed Hispanic rules…

As we conclude our journey through the Mosteiro de Lorvão, take a final moment to absorb the profound quiet of this ancient valley. We have traveled from the early Visigothic foundations to the golden age of the Cistercian nuns,…