PORTUGUESE Way - Coimbra (subtitles)

Rest day on the Portuguese Way dedicated to visiting the historic area of Coimbra, starting with the church of Santa Cruz, renovated next to the monastery in 1507. Inside the church are the sarcophagi with the remains of D. Afonso Henriques and D. Sancho I, first kings of Portugal and promoters of the construction of the monastery.
Along Rua Visconde da Luz we reach the church of S. Tiago, which together with the Old Cathedral is the best example of Romanesque architecture in the city. The side door, with archivolts on six columns, is decorated with shells alluding to pilgrimages to Santiago.
Returning to Rua Visconde da Luz, we reach the Tower and Arch of Almedina, preceded by the Porta da Barbacã, elements of the medieval wall rebuilt in the 11th century. We continue upwards to the Sé Velha (Old Cathedral), built when D. Afonso Henriques declared himself king of Portugal and chose Coimbra as the capital of the kingdom. The fortress-like appearance is common to the cathedrals of the period and is explained by the warlike climate of the Reconquest. Its Porta Especiosa, one of the main works of the early Portuguese Renaissance, the Flemish altarpiece and the cloister erected at the beginning of the 13th century, during the reign of Afonso II, stand out.
We continue up to the Sé Nova (New Cathedral). It was the church of the Colégio do Santíssimo Nome de Jesus until 1759, when the Jesuits were banished from Portugal.
We buy tickets to visit the university complex starting with the Laboratório Chímico which houses some of the scientific collections of the Science Museum, exhibited together with interactive modules. We walk through the streets of the university complex to the Porta Férrea, conceived as a double-sided triumphal gate, decorated with sculptures related to the founding of the University.
The University, founded by D. Dinis I in 1209, and confirmed by Pope Nicholas IV, was definitively established in this city by D. João III in 1537. Since then, the old Paço Real da Alcáçova has been called Paço das Escolas.
We enter the Chapel of São Miguel, with a gilded wooden altarpiece, in which paintings on the life of Christ stand out. Between 1733 and 1738, a baroque organ was added, ornamented with chinoiserie-style painting.
While waiting to enter the Biblioteca Joanina, we visit the surrounding area where the Colégio de Santo António da Pedreira is located with its small chapel, built on the site of an old quarry in 1602.
Restoration work has led us to enter the library through the Prisão Académica (academic prison), the result of self-government and legislation.
The Joanina Library owes its name to the monarch who ordered it to be built in 1717, D. João V. It consists of three rooms connected by decorated arches and filled with shelves made of exotic wood, gilded and polychromed with Chinese motifs.
Back in the Pátio das Escolas, the 17th century tower houses the clock and bells that regulate academic life. The Via Latina runs the entire length of the main façade of the former Royal Palace, and owes its name to the official language, Latin, at the University until the Pombaline Reform of 1772. Inside, the Sala dos Capelos, the former Throne Room, was the residence of the Portuguese kings of the First Dynasty and where João I was proclaimed King of Portugal in 1385. Nowadays, important ceremonies of academic life take place here.
We then move on to the former royal apartments, converted into the Sala do Exame Privado, where the degree examination took place behind closed doors.
We cross the Mondego River to visit the Mosteiro de Santa Clara-a-Nova, also known as Convento da Rainha Santa Isabel. It was built in the 17th century to replace the old monastery of Santa Clara a Velha, affected by the periodic flooding of the river. The main altar of the church contains the body of the Holy Queen in a silver tomb. The guided tour of the site does not allow the recording of images except in the cloister, which was financed by King João V of Portugal in 1733.
Music: "Fado Latino" by Arménio de Melo
• Fado Latino
Source:
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16/10/2023

[@SilviaTlvr]

¡Qué maravilla! Una ciudad preciosa. Gracias por el vídeo.

[@migueltalavera1554]

Estoy de acuerdo contigo Silvia, *Coimbra es muy bonita,* al menos lo que visitamos. Una pena que no pudiésemos grabar en la iglesia del Mosteiro de Santa Clara-a-Nova, donde se encuentra el ataud de la reina Isabel. Mereció la pena la visita guiada. Gracias por tu comentario!!!😉