Lorvão Abbey

Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Lorvão
View of the old abbey cloister and of the lantern tower of the abbey church
Monastery information
Full name	Abbey of Our Lady of Lorvão
Other names	Monastery of Sts. Mammes & Pelagius (Mosteiro de Sãos Mamede e Pelágio)
Order	Benedictine monks (ca. 1070-1206), Cistercian nuns (1206-1887)
Established	ca. 880
Disestablished	1887
Dedicated to	Sts. Mammes of Caesarea & Pelagius the Hermit (880-1206), Our Lady of Life
Diocese	Coimbra
People
Founder(s)	Hermenegildo Gutiérrez
Important associated figures	Teresa of Portugal, Sancha, Lady of Alenquer
Architecture
Status	suppressed
Functional status	museum
Heritage designation	National Monument
Designated date	1910
Architect	Mateus Vicente de Oliveira, João Mendes Ribeiro
Style	Baroque
Site
Location	Lorvão, Penacova, Coimbra, Portugal
Coordinates	40°15′33″N 8°19′03″W / 40.25924°N 8.31747°W / 40.25924; -8.31747

The Abbey of Our Lady of Lorvão (Portuguese: Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Lorvão), known simply as Lorvão Abbey, was a monastery in the civil parish of Lorvão in the Coimbra District of Portugal. According to tradition, it was founded in the 6th century, but no documentation of the foundation exists until the late 9th century, the period of the Christian Reconquest of the lands, which had then been held by Muslim conquerors for over 150 years. It served a monastic community for a thousand years. Originally housing a community of monks, it initially prospered as a major point of trade between the Christian inhabitants to its north and the Muslim kingdoms to its south. During the 12th century, its workshops were noted for their magnificent illuminated manuscripts. Soon after that, its monks were removed and the monastery became the home of a community of nuns. They occupied the site until the abolition of religious orders in Portugal during the 19th century.

At the start of the 20th century, the buildings were converted into a psychiatric hospital, at the same time being declared a National Monument of the country. The hospital lasted a century and the government is currently developing the property into a museum of the sacred arts under the supervision of the architect João Mendes Ribeiro.^[1]

Early history

The region became Muslim-held soon after the Muslim invasion of the Iberian peninsula in 711. Under the leadership of King Alfonso III of Asturias and his Castellan, Hermenegildo Gutiérrez, they were driven out of the region of Coimbra in 878, when Gutiérrez was made Count of Portugal. The monastery was dedicated to the Saints Mammes of Caesarea and Pelagius the Hermit. The community initially prospered as a major point of trade between the Christian inhabitants to its north and the Muslim kingdoms to its south. The monastery fell upon hard times when Muslim forces retook the territory in the following century. This lasted until the permanent retaking of the land in 1064 by King Ferdinand I of León.^[2]

At that point, the monastery was entrusted to the Benedictine monks of Cluny Abbey in France, who were made responsible for the agrarian development of the surrounding region. During the second half of the 12th century, major renovations of the monastery were undertaken by King Alfonso I. A new cloister and a larger church, with three naves, were erected. Under the leadership of Abbot João (1162-1192) the scriptorium of the abbey became noted for their magnificent illuminated manuscripts. This abbey and the nearby Abbey of Santa Cruz, a community of canon regulars, became the preeminent producers of manuscripts in the young kingdom, in answer to a growing demand. Two major examples of this handicraft still survive, both illuminated by a monk named Egeas. One, known as the Book of Birds, a bestiary, is the illustration of a manuscript by the contemporary canon regular Hugues de Fouilloy and dated 1184. The other, known as the Apocalypse of Lorvão, is an illumination of the Commentary on the Apocalypse by Beatus of Liébana, an 8th century monk, dated 1189.

Suppression

A civil war broke out in Portugal 1828-1834. At its conclusion, the victorious Liberal government made the decision to end state sponsorship of religious communities. They were inspired by the Suppression of the Society of Jesus during the previous century. Thus in May 1834 King Pedro IV declared the Dissolution of the monasteries in Portugal, intending to sell the seized properties to provide for the poor. The first stage of the government action was applied only to communities of men, which were immediately suppressed. In 1862, the law was applied to communities of women, who were barred from accepting new members, and their assets became subject to seizure. The abbey library was seized in the early 1880's, when the above-noted manuscripts were transferred to the National Library. The last nun of the community died in 1887, ending the monastic life of the abbey.

Legacy

In the 20th century, the abbey was made into a psychiatric hospital. In 1910 the properties were declared a National Monument. The hospital was closed in 2012. It has been developed into a museum focusing on the sacred arts.

Choir

References