Saint Michael´s Chapel

When Coimbra was conquered from the Muslims in 1064, Sesnando, the Christian governor, settled in the Alcazaba, the Islamic fortification. It was necessary to Christianise the region and, therefore, St. Michael’s Chapel was built to serve the palace. It was a temple of three naves, installed in this same place, but in a perpendicular position to the one, it occupies today. Regarding the original temple, practically everything disappeared. It was only witnessed by written sources and archaeology. King Manuel had it rebuilt in the early 16th century. Even so, the current chapel is the result of a succession of interventions.

Still outside, we are surprised by the portal that dominates the façade. Commissioned to Marcos Pires, one of the great masters of the Manueline period, it is framed by fine spiral columns and criss-crossed arches of different shapes, much to the taste of the period. Above the door are the emblems that King Manuel chose to represent him: the Cross of the Order of Christ, of which he was the administrator, the royal coat of arms and the armillary sphere, as his mottoes.