Cistercians

Shortly after they broke from the Benedictine order, a vision led a small band of Cistercians to this part of Portugal. Nothing else was here in these desolate mountains. It was the end of the world. The few monks who came here from France attempted to build a little church at Sao Joao de Tarouca, but mysteriously three different structures were demolished. During a fierce thunderstorm lightning struck a nearby tree three times in quick succession. The monks decided this was a message from God, and they rebuilt another structure where the lightning had struck the tree. That building stood, and a church has been on that site ever since. As the community developed it was divided into two groups: “professing monks” and “converted monks.” The first group contained the scholars, priests other literate leaders. The second group contained laborers. Over the centuries all of the monastic orders increased in power, subjecting the non-religious residents surrounding the monastery into a state of virtual slavery. Because of their overweening power, Peter IV expelled all Catholic religious orders in Portugal in 1834. Churches could remain, but monasteries had to be dismantled. After the death of the king very few Cistercian monks and nuns returned, but they had no political power. The last Cistercian nun in Portugal died around 1900.

The huge Cistercian monastery stands in ruins, but the church remains. It is an exquisite example of high baroque architecture. The last part of the building to be restored was the organ, whose restoration was completed only last year with funds provided by the European Union. One can understand why, in that revolutionary period, the monasteries were demolished, but, oh, what wonders were lost in that destruction!Read more